Department for Transport

Woodgrange Park Station

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to improve passenger services through Woodgrange Park rail station.

Claire Perry: In the September 2013 Spending Review, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced funding to electrify the Barking to Gospel Oak line on which Woodgrange Park station is situated. Network Rail has already begun the extensive infrastructure work required to achieve this, and expects to complete the work in mid 2017. This upgrade will enable higher capacity electric trains to operate, facilitating more reliable services for passengers and freight, as well as reduced noise and pollution for line side neighbours.   Network Rail will also be working with Transport for London (TfL) to extend the platforms along the route. This means that London Overground will be able to operate new four-car electric trains as opposed to the current two-car diesel stock. TfL has now placed the order for the new trains and, following the route upgrade, it expects to introduce them onto the network from early 2018. This will almost double the passenger capacity of the existing service.

Trolleybuses: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of the proposed New Generation Trolleybus scheme in Leeds.

Andrew Jones: The most recent cost of the proposed New Generation Trolleybus scheme in Leeds as provided to this Department by the promoters, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, is £250 million.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with Govia Thameslink Railway on the talks between London-based train operators and Transport for London aimed at sharing pay-as-you-go fares on suburban rail routes.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport is aware that discussions are taking place between train operating companies and Transport for London (TfL) about possible changes to Pay As You Go fares in London, however we await the outcome of these discussions which we are not party to.

Railway Stations: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people use each train station in (a) Copeland and (b) Cumbria each year.

Claire Perry: Estimates of the number of passengers using each station on the rail network are published on the Office of Rail Regulation’s website at the following link: http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates  The methodology for this data set has changed over time as improvements have been made, so the estimates from different years may not have been produced on a consistent basis. Details of the methodology changes made each year can be found in the accompanying reports.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role his Department has in setting fares on trains operated by Govia Thameslink Railway.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport’s role is setting the annual parameters for regulated fare increases. The train operating company (TOC) is obliged to set fares within the limits set by the Secretary of State.

Railways: Fares

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2015 to Question 4820 on railways: performance standards, what permission his Department has granted to Govia Thameslink Railway to (a) vary ticket prices and (b) enter into an agreement with Transport for London to share the same-pay-as-you-go fares on suburban rail routes in London.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport for (a) have not given Govia Thameslink Railway any permission to vary ticket prices, but for (b) there are agreements in place which govern Oyster/PAYG fares within the Travelcard area.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle air pollution from road vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: This Government is committed to tackling poor air quality. Our aim is for almost every car and van to be a zero emission vehicle by 2050.   £2 billion has been committed since 2011 to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, green transport initiatives and supporting local authorities to take action. These measures will help address both particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide roadside levels in pollution hotspots.

Ports: Planning Permission

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide guidance to local authorities considering planning applications for cruise terminals on the comparative merits of berthed cruise ships receiving energy supplies from onshore sources and generating their own energy from diesel fuel.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The National Policy Statement (NPS) for Ports (www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-policy-statement-for-ports), designated in 2012, includes guidance about onshore electricity supply at paragraphs 5.7.12ff. Although the NPS primarily addresses nationally significant infrastructure projects as defined under the Planning Act 2008, for which it has legal force, it also stands as potentially relevant guidance for the Marine Management Organisation and for local authorities when dealing with smaller ports projects.

Rolling Stock: North West

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department had with Northern Rail on the use of the Class 37 rolling stock on the Carlisle-Barrow-Lancaster rail line.

Andrew Jones: The Department worked with both Northern and Transpennine Express (TPE) to develop a scheme to provide additional capacity in North-west England, which includes the use of the locomotives – and coaches – on the Cumbrian Coast line. The rolling stock provider, DRS, has chosen to use Class 37 locomotives. These trains provide additional capacity on this popular route and a new early morning service from Carlisle to Sellafield and Barrow-in-Furness. The project has enabled capacity to be increased on many TPE train services between Blackpool and Manchester.

Midland Main Railway Line

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the delayed electrification of the TransPennine rail route to planned upgrades to the Midland Mainline; and what contingency plans he has put in place to mitigate such effects.

Andrew Jones: There are no likely effects from pausing electrification of the TransPennine rail route to the planned upgrades to the Midland Mainline and therefore no contingency plans are required.

Aviation: Noise

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking as part of his Department's current review of noise policy to ensure that (a) tranquillity and (b) densely populated areas are clearly defined in Civil Aviation Authority guidance.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) lead on airspace change and the process is set out in their publication CAP 725. The Department for Transport provide guidance to the CAA relating to the exercise of its air navigation functions. This sets out the Government’s position on flights over densely populated and tranquil areas. Any review of these publications would consider points made in consultation.

Motorways: Repairs and Maintenance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the total mileage of the (a) M1, (b) M5, (c) M6, (d) M25, (e) M62 and (f) M4 operated (i) without reduced speed restrictions and (ii) at a reduced speed due to roadworks on 31 August 2015.

Andrew Jones: On the 31st August the total proportion of miles with speed reductions due to roadworks was 10 per cent for the (a) M1, (b) M5, (c) M6, (d) M25, (e) M62 and (f) M4 combined. Roadworks will inevitably arise as part of this Government’s ambitious £15.2bn plan of capital investment to improve the capacity and condition of England’s motorways and major ‘A’ roads which includes a tripling of the annual level of investment on road enhancements by the end of the decade.

M1

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on which sections of the M1 motorway reduced speed limits were operating because of roadworks taking place or being planned on 31 August 2015.

Andrew Jones: The following sections of the M1 were operating at reduced speed limits on the 31 August 2015 due to roadworks taking place:   M1 J11-12, M1 J15-19, M1 J28-31, M1 J32-35a, and M1 J39-42.   These roadworks all relate to road upgrades, part of an ambitious £15.2bn plan of capital investment to improve the capacity and condition of England’s motorways and major ‘A’ roads which includes a tripling of the annual level of investment on road enhancements by the end of the decade.

M1

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the reduced speed order for each of the sections of the M1 motorway that were operating at a reduced speed on 31 August 2015 came into operation; and when the national speed limit is scheduled to be restored on each such section.

Andrew Jones: The following sections of the M1 were operating at reduced speed limits on the 31 August 2015 due to roadworks taking place:M1 J11-12, M1 J15-19, M1 J28-31, M1 J32-35a, and M1 J39-42 Project NameStart DatesProposed End DatesA5 M1 Link (for works at M1 J11-12)Feb 2015 October 15M1 J15-19 concrete barrier replacementMarch 2014October 15M1 J 19 improvement schemeJanuary 2015October 15M1 J28-31 – concrete barrier replacementMarch 2014December 15M1 J32-35a – concrete barrier replacementMarch 2014December 16M1 J39-42 smart motorway schemeNovember 2013February 16

Aviation: Business Travel

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of international flights taken from the UK have been for business purposes in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We do not hold statistics on the proportion of international flights by purpose of travel.  The table below shows the proportion of passengers at the five largest UK airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester and Luton) who were travelling mainly for business. These airports account for over two thirds of passengers at UK airports. The estimates are based on the CAA passenger survey, which is carried out at these five airports each year.Estimated proportion of passengers on international flights travelling mainly for business at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Manchester, 2005-2014   2005200620072008200920102011201220132014% of passengers23%24%24%23%20%21%22%21%20%20%

Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for meeting legal limits on air pollution of expanding Heathrow Airport and constructing associated surface transport facilities.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report before taking any decisions on next steps.   The impact on local air quality and how this affects the wider compliance with EU air quality standards is something which the Government will consider carefully when making a decision on additional runway capacity.

Department for Transport: Secondment

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff were seconded from his Department to work for the Airports Commission.

Mr Robert Goodwill: 24 Department for Transport staff were seconded to work for the Airports Commission.   The team working on airport capacity issues has been structured to ensure that no-one returning from the Airports Commission Secretariat works in the team that is specifically tasked with reviewing the Airports Commission’s Final Report.

London Airports

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the risks of (a) expanding Heathrow Airport, (b) expanding Gatwick Airport and (c) constructing a new airport in the Thames Estuary.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Airports Commission has produced an extremely significant and detailed study – considering over 50 different options for new hub capacity and engaging with a wide range of stakeholders during its work. It has considered around 70,000 responses to its consultation earlier this year, including responses made by the Richmond Heathrow Campaign. The Airport Commission’s report contains a range of recommendations which Government will now carefully consider before making decisions on next steps.

Roads: Stoke on Trent

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was spent on road maintenance in Stoke-on-Trent local authority area in the last financial year.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport allocated funding of just under £4 million to Stoke on Trent City Council for local highways maintenance in the last financial year, 2014/15. This includes £1.3 million per annum towards a 25 year street lighting PFI project that commenced in 2003/04.   Local authorities are also able to use revenue funding, allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant for maintaining their local highways.   Neither revenue nor capital highways maintenance block funding is ring-fenced and it is for local highway authorities, such as Stoke on Trent City Council, to decide upon their spending priorities across the whole range of services that they provide.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much vehicle excise duty was collected in Stoke-on-Trent local authority area in 2014-15.

Andrew Jones: The Department does not hold data on VED receipts directly attributed to local authority areas.

M20: Large Goods Vehicles

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated cost to the public purse of Operation Stack has been since June 2014.

Andrew Jones: The Government has not estimated the cost of implementation of Operation Stack on the public purse.   Government firmly views the implementation of Operation Stack as a last, not first resort, and that it is implemented only when necessary by Kent Police. The priority is to keep traffic and goods moving on the roads, while minimising the impact on the public purse.   The Government continues to work with Kent County Council, Kent Police, and Highways England on a range of short to long term solutions to support Operation Stack.

Transport for the North

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Paragraph 1.301 of the Summer Budget 2015, what legislation he plans to bring forward to establish Transport for the North as a statutory body; and what statutory duties he intends Transport for the North to have.

Andrew Jones: In his Budget of 8 July the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the Government’s intention to put Transport for the North (TfN) on a statutory footing with statutory duties.   The Government is working with TfN on an appropriate statutory framework and intends to announce its plans in due course.

Transport for the North

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what responsibilities of Network Rail will be transferred to Transport for the North.

Andrew Jones: Transport for the North (TfN) is currently working in partnership with Network Rail in order to advise the Government on the strategic investment priorities for the North of England.   We are currently exploring options to establish TfN as a statutory body with statutory duties so that it can further drive economic growth in the North. As we take forward these discussions with TfN, Network Rail and others we will consider the working relationships between the various parties.

Transport for the North

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the appointment of the Chair of Transport for the North will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

Andrew Jones: As Transport for the North (TFN) is working in partnership with the Department for Transport, they have asked the Secretary of State to approve the appointment which they will make. The Secretary of State is subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.

Railways: WiFi

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on ensuring that free Wi-Fi is available on (a) the Uckfield line and (b) other Southern Rail services by 2017.

Claire Perry: The Prime Minister announced in February 2015 that four franchises would benefit from the reinvestment of a Network Rail penalty of nearly £50m to provide free Wi-Fi for passengers. This included Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), who operate the Southern trains under the Thameslink Southern and Great Northern franchise.  GTR are currently developing a proposal for the introduction of free Wi-Fi on all train fleets operated on their network, including the trains which operate on the Uckfield Line, which will be assessed by the Department for both affordability and value for money.   Subject to agreement with GTR, Wi-Fi services will be rolled out over the next 2 years, so trains can be fitted with minimal disruption to passenger services.

Office of Rail and Road: Pay

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to bring the setting of the (a) salary of the Chief Executive of the Office of Road and Rail Regulation (ORR) and (b) fees of the current Chairman of ORR within his responsibility; and if he will bring forward proposals to place the benefits received by the (i) executive board members, (ii) non-executive board members, (iii) senior management, (iv) Chief Executive and (v) Chairman of ORR within his responsibility.

Claire Perry: My Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to bring forward proposals to change the current arrangements on the matters my honourable friend refers to given that such arrangements are already subject to appropriate scrutiny by Ministers.   The Secretary of State is already responsible for setting the salary and fees of the Chair and other non-executive board members of the ORR and determining their terms and conditions of appointment within the framework of relevant guidance published by the Cabinet Office.   The ORR is responsible for setting the salary, and terms and conditions of appointment of its Chief Executive. However, before making an appointment of a Chief Executive, the ORR is required to obtain approval from HM Treasury in relation to the Chief Executive’s terms and conditions of appointment.   The ORR’s senior managers, including executive directors (other than the Chief Executive as referred to above), receive benefits consistent with their employment in the Senior Civil Service. These benefits must accord with the remuneration parameters and approvals process set out for the Senior Civil Service by the Cabinet Office.   More generally, in relation to each of the categories of employees and non-executives referred to in my honourable friend’s question, all remuneration packages over £142,500 must be approved by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many houses in Stafford constituency have been purchased under the High Speed 2 Exceptional Hardship Scheme since that scheme was launched; and what the average cost is of each such purchase.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As at end of August 2015, HS2 Ltd has purchased 10 properties on behalf of the Secretary of State in the Stafford Constituency, at an average cost of £404,470 per property.

Roads: Accidents

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road accidents in the UK involved foreign-registered vehicles in each of the last three years; and what proportion of those accidents led to the closure of a (a) road on the strategic network and (b) local road in each year.

Andrew Jones: The Department does not collect information on the country of registration of vehicles involved in reported personal-injury road accidents. Information is held on left hand drive vehicles and the Department uses this as a proxy for foreign registered vehicles.The table below shows the number of reported personal-injury road traffic accidents involving left-hand drive vehicles in each of the last three years in Great Britain, broken down by severity of accident.Reported number of accidents involving left hand drive vehicles, by severity, GB: 2012- 2014  FatalSeriousSlightTotal 2012251099831,1172013171409941,1512014191361,0461,201 The Department does not hold information on whether roads are closed following a road traffic accident.

M62

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of road safety on the M62 motorway between junctions 21 and 23.

Andrew Jones: Highways England’s latest Route Safety Review indicates that the accident rate on the link between Junction 21 and Junction 22 slightly exceeds the level at which their safety scheme evaluation process is initiated. As a result, Highways England is programming a study to investigate these accidents further.   As part of the development of the M62 smart motorway scheme between Junction 20 to 25, the road infrastructure between Junctions 21 and 23 will be subject to detailed design review taking into account the road safety performance.

Road Signs and Markings

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2015 to Question 2645, if he will lift the moratorium on any new authorisations for traffic signs until the revised Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions are introduced.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2015 to Question 2645, if he will make it his policy to consider new authorisations for traffic signs before the new Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions come into force.

Andrew Jones: The Department has no plans to lift the moratorium on traffic sign authorisations prior to the new Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) being introduced. The moratorium does not, however, apply to all traffic sign categories and officials will continue to consider authorisations for those signs not covered by the moratorium.   On 28 August the Department launched a further consultation on the draft TSRGD which runs until 6 October. The new TSRGD is scheduled to come into force in Spring 2016, subject to Parliamentary approval.

Highways England: Industrial Injuries

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff of Highways England or the Highways Agency and their contractors have been (a) injured and (b) killed while removing litter or refuse from the strategic road network since January 2010; what the causes of those accidents were; and what injuries were sustained by those staff.

Andrew Jones: There have been no incidents of staff being killed as a result of litter removal on the strategic road network since January 2010. The number of injuries during this period is 44, the cause and nature of the injuries are outlined in the tables below: Primary Cause Injuries SustainedHit by a moving vehicle2 Bruising / abrasion8Hit by a moving, flying or falling object4 Burn1Hit something fixed or stationary7 Cut / laceration8Horse play1 Foreign body (ingressed)1Injured while handling lifting or carrying8 Fracture1Slipped, tripped or fell on the same level22 Strain / sprain25 44  44 All of these injuries relate to contractor personnel.

Railways: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support economic development in East Lancashire through rail modernisation.

Andrew Jones: The Government is working closely with Transport for the North, Rail North, Network Rail and HS2 Ltd on ambitious plans to modernise the railways in the North of England to support a Northern Powerhouse.　 The first stages are already being delivered.　 These include the introduction of a new hourly service between Blackburn, Burnley and Manchester over the re-opened Todmorden curve from May 2015, and procurement of new Northern and TransPennine Express franchises from next year providing better connections, faster journeys, increased capacity and modern rolling stock including the removal of the Pacer trains from the North of England. These improvements build on our substantial investment in the Northern Hub and other infrastructure projects.

Skipton-Colne Railway Line

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on reopening of the Colne to Skipton rail line; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Secretary of State for Transport has not received any recent representations for the reopening of the Colne to Skipton rail line. The Government has advised the local campaign group, Network Rail, Local Enterprise Partners and the Local Authority both on the processes for reopening a railway line and the need for additional feasibility studies concerning the project.

Driving: Visual Impairment

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the eyesight requirements for the holding of Group 1 or Group 2 driving licences were last reviewed; and what assessment his Department has made of whether the potential effect of photophobia on fitness to drive is adequately reflected in the current requirements to notify the DVLA of medical conditions.

Andrew Jones: The minimum visual acuity and visual field standards for driving with Group 1 and 2 licences were last reviewed in March 2013.   Photophobia is not a medical condition about which drivers need to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in isolation. However, the DVLA will investigate a notifiable medical condition of which photophobia may be a symptom. Therefore, no specific assessment has been made about the effect of photophobia on fitness to drive. It is for drivers to ensure that they can continue to drive safely and to take appropriate steps to do so. Drivers who suffer from photophobia should discuss driving with their eye care specialist if they are unsure.

Driving: Visual Impairment

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) drivers and (b) medical practitioners reported medical conditions which resulted in visual impairments not specified in the DVLA publication, At a glance guide to the current medical standards of fitness to drive, in each of the last three years; and in how many such cases the driving licence was (i) revoked and (ii) restricted.

Andrew Jones: Drivers are not required to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of any medical condition that is not specified in "At a glance Guide to the current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive". Drivers should seek advice from their GP if they are unsure as to whether they should notify the DVLA of a medical condition.

Liverpool Street-Enfield Town Railway Line

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with Transport for London and Network Rail on improving accessibility for disabled passengers on the London Liverpool Street to Enfield line.

Claire Perry: As part of the Greater Anglia devolution project a number of discussions on the condition of the stations have been held with Transport for London. Wider industry discussions mean that under the Access for All programme Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters will get a step free route by 2019. Similar work at Edmonton Green was completed in 2014 and a further 16 stations have also received smaller scale access improvements.

East Coast Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the time taken for Hitachi to modify IEP trains for East Coast to include a buffet car in standard class.

Claire Perry: The IEP trains for Virgin East Coast Trains will be delivered with standard class buffet facilities within the existing delivery schedule. Trains will enter passenger service as planned from 2018.

Airlines: Alcoholic Drinks

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will work with airlines to limit the amount of alcohol consumed on flights in and out of the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government takes this issue very seriously and is supportive of efforts that airlines, airports and retail outlets are making to tackle the problems caused by excessive alcohol consumption by a small minority of passengers. Representatives of all of these groups recently met with officials from my department and from the UK Border Force, as well as the Civil Aviation Authority and the police, to discuss a range of practical steps that can be taken to identify and deal with these situations as they emerge. These included the circumstances under which it might be appropriate to withhold further alcohol from a passenger.   I and my officials will be continuing this constructive dialogue over the coming months.

Railways: Capital Investment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2015 to Question 5809, when he expects to publish the terms of reference for Sir Peter Hendy's review of the rail investment programme.

Claire Perry: The Terms of Reference for Sir Peter Hendy’s ‘CP5 Enhancements Re-planning Exercise’ have now been published and are available in the libraries of the House. They are also available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-reports-on-network-rail-publication-of-terms-of-reference

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2015 to Question 7660, by what mechanism would the cost of Intercity Express Programme conversion be met should that option be taken up.

Claire Perry: No decision has been taken yet. The Department is discussing the mechanism for contract variation with Agility Trains West, the provider of the trains, should that option be taken up.   I remain committed to ensuring that the trains enter service as planned.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2015 to Question 5189, whether Network Rail's Accounting Officer has sought formal direction to proceed on any matter from his Department's Principal Accounting Officer since 1 September 2014.

Claire Perry: Network Rail’s Accounting Officer has not asked for the formal direction of the Department’s Principal Accounting Officer to proceed on any matter.

Virgin Trains

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library the correspondence between his Department and Virgin Trains about its decision to end the easement for railcard holders to purchase discounted off-peak tickets for travel on peak time trains.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of people affected by the decision by Virgin Trains to end the easement whereby railcard holders can purchase discounted off-peak tickets for travel on peak time trains.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he and his Ministers and officials had with Virgin Trains during or after the process of its tender for the West Coast mainline about the easement which allows concessions to pay off-peak prices for peak time travel for some customers with railcards.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the tender by Virgin Trains for the West Coast mainline included plans to end in September 2016 the easement whereby railcard holders can purchase discounted off-peak tickets for travel on peak time trains.

Claire Perry: The decision to withdraw the application of the railcard discount was a commercial matter for Virgin Trains. Therefore no estimate has been made of passenger numbers affected by the Department.   The Request for Proposal in relation to the recent Direct Award with West Coast Trains Limited (trading as Virgin Trains) did not include a requirement to continue to provide the Railcard easement and it is not a requirement of the Franchise Agreement that is in place for this easement to continue to be provided for the franchise term. This is a commercial matter for Virgin Trains.   There have been no discussions between the Secretary of State for Transport, or his Ministers and officials, and Virgin Trains during or after the West Coast Main Line Direct Award negotiations about the Railcard easement.   The only correspondence received by the Department was a copy of the email Virgin Trains sent out on 18 August to Members of the House of Commons whose constituents were likely to be affected by this decision. This email has been placed in the House library.　 In addition, officials received three emails from the Head of Public Affairs, Virgin Trains with information updates on the easement announcement.

Railways: Electrification

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when Network Rail will publish its new Electrification Route Utilisation Strategy.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport expects that Network Rail will publish a draft updated Electrification Route Strategy for consultation in due course, taking account of the review by Sir Peter Hendy and any other relevant considerations.

Expenditure: Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to his Department has been of external consultancy work in connection with developing the policies on Network Rail outlined in paragraph 1.255 of the Summer Budget, HC 264.

Claire Perry: The cost of external consultancy work in connection with developing policies on Network Rail outlined in paragraph 1.255 of the Summer Budget was £230k.

Blue Badge Scheme

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to extend the Blue Badge scheme to the carers or partners of those with dementia.

Andrew Jones: The Blue Badge Scheme is primarily designed to help those who are unable to walk, or who have very considerable difficulty walking, whether they are drivers or passengers. We have no plans to extend the scheme to carers or partners. Carers should not use a badge if the badge holder is not travelling with them, so do not need a badge in their own right. The scheme already permits badges to be issued on a case by case basis to people with any permanent disability that affects their walking to the necessary degree. With around 2.6 million badges already on issue, it is important that we ensure the Scheme remains sustainable and protects preferential parking facilities for those with the greatest need.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Refugees

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy that local authorities each house 10 refugee families; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: My rt. hon. Friends, the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government are leading a Joint Committee to put in place the necessary arrangements to expand the existing Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme to resettle up to 20,000 Syrians in need of protection during this Parliament. The Home Secretary will provide an update to the House next week.

Housing: Disability

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of accessible homes for people with (a) muscular dystrophy, (b) neuromuscular conditions and (c) other progressive conditions.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund will provide up to £315 million over 5 years for specialised housing for older and disabled people. Phase 1 of the fund will deliver over 4,000 new affordable homes and the bids for phase 2 are currently being assessed.

Disabled Facilities Grants

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that the statutory maximum grant available for a Disabled Facilities Grant increases in line with inflation.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government has invested just over £1 billion in the Disabled Facilities Grant since 2010. When the cost of the adaptation exceeds the maximum limit, local authorities have the discretion to provide additional funding. The future funding of the Grant is a matter for the Spending Review.

Homelessness

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Homelessness Prevention Grant; and what his future plans are for this policy.

Mr Marcus Jones: Our £500 million investment in local authority and voluntary sector homelessness services has contributed to local authorities preventing 935,800 households from becoming homeless since 2010. Together with other Departments, we are considering the overall level of funding for local government through the Spending Review.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

EU Reform

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which EU treaty articles would need to be amended or deleted in order to allow the UK not to be bound by the current or future EU social and employment legislation or rulings of the European Court of Justice in the same area.

Mr David Lidington: EU social and employment provisions are based on a number of treaty articles and are also contained in areas of secondary legislation made under the treaties. For example, Article 21 TFEU promotes the free movement of persons. Article 45 provides for the free movement of workers. Article 46 provides for secondary legislation to bring this about. And Article 48 provides for secondary measures in the field of social security including the payment of benefits to persons resident in the Member States. Regulation 883/2004 sets rules on Social Security Coordination, while the Residence Directive 2004/38/EC sets out measures on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the Union. The number of articles or pieces of secondary legislation needing review would depend on the nature of any changes a Member State sought to achieve. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has been clear that there are four areas where the UK is seeking change: sovereignty, economic governance, competitiveness and immigration. The Prime Minister is confident that, with goodwill and understanding, he can and will succeed in negotiating to reform the EU and Britain's relationship within it. As he has said, if he succeeds he will campaign to keep the UK in a reformed European Union.

Azerbaijan: Human Rights

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Azerbaijan; and what representations his Department has made to the government of that country on behalf of Leyla and Arif Yunus.

Mr David Lidington: The UK raises human rights with the Government of Azerbaijan at every appropriate opportunity. We have made several statements expressing concern about the detention and sentencing of prominent members of civil society. Most recently, I issued statements on 13 August and 1 September following the sentencing of human rights defenders Leyla and Arif Yunus, and investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, respectively. The British Embassy in Baku worked with international partners to monitor recent trials of high profile activists, including the trial of Leyla and Arif Yunus.

Palestinians

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times the Israeli military have opened fire into Gaza since August 2014; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent future such incidents.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of Israeli forces responding to illegal rocket fire from Gaza with 29 strikes since the 26 August 2014 Gaza ceasefire agreement. According to figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Israeli forces have opened fire into the Gaza Access Restricted Areas on land and sea on at least 696 occasions since then. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised our concerns over the Israel Defence Force’s use of live fire in Gaza with the Israeli Government. We are continuing to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution for Gaza.

Palestinians

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will estimate the number of Palestinian civilians killed by the Israeli military shooting into Gaza since August 2014; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent such fatalities.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: According to figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, there have been 2 Palestinian civilian fatalities in Gaza since August 2014 as a result of actions by Israeli forces. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised our concerns over the Israel Defence Force’s use of live fire in Gaza with the Israeli Government. We are also continuing to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution for Gaza.

Palestinians

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received from (a) Israel, (b) Egypt, (c) the Palestinian Authority and (d) Hamas on the rebuilding of homes destroyed in Gaza during the conflict of January 2014.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: While we do not speak to Hamas, we have had discussions with the other parties pressing for urgent measures to relieve the humanitarian suffering of those in Gaza, including the rebuilding of homes destroyed in the Gaza conflict of 2014. The UK regularly urges the Israeli authorities to intensify measures to support Gaza’s reconstruction and economic development. We are also urging Egypt, which has played an important role in encouraging the international community to support the reconstruction of Gaza, to show maximum flexibility in opening the Rafah crossing. We receive regular representations from the Palestinian Authority on rebuilding of homes in Gaza, and have urged the Palestinian Authority to take steps to return to Gaza.The UK is also supporting the temporary Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism to facilitate the import of construction materials into Gaza. The Department for International Development is providing £0.7 million to the Materials Monitoring Unit which oversees and monitors the import, storage, supply and use of construction materials into Gaza.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will estimate the number of Palestinian rockets fired into Israel from Gaza since August 2014; how many Israelis have been killed as a result of such attacks; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent such incidents.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We estimate that 12 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza since August 2014. No Israelis have been killed as a result of this rocket fire. We are clear that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza must permanently end rocket fire and other attacks against Israel. We are continuing to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution for Gaza.

Gaza

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the likely timetable for lifting the blockade of Gaza; and what steps he is taking with his counterparts in the EU and elsewhere to bring this about.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: During the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond)'s visit to the region in July, he urged the Israeli Government to ease restrictions on Gaza and for the parties to prioritise progress towards a durable solution, including taking the necessary steps to advance construction and economic development. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate-General in Jerusalem have frequently urged Israel to go further in easing movement and access restrictions on Gaza and for the Palestinian Authority to make progress on resuming control in Gaza. We welcome the steps that Israel has taken to ease some restrictions, for example on the water supply and food exports. However, we want to see Israel go much further, and we continue to call on Israel to do so. We will continue to work closely with international partners including the EU to promote a durable solution for Gaza.

Gaza

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with counterparts in the EU and elsewhere on the obligations Israel has under UN Security Council Resolution 1860 and the Agreement on Movement and Access within it to open the Gaza crossings.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1860; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We support the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1860. Many of the underlying problems that UNSCR 1860 sought to address in Gaza still exist. The UK frequently urges the parties to address these problems and to take the necessary steps to ensure Gaza’s reconstruction and economic recovery. During his recent visit to the region, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) urged the Israeli Government to ease restrictions on Gaza and pushed both parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution. We continue to work with our partners in the EU and elsewhere to drive forward progress in Gaza, including by seeking to address many of the issues highlighted in UNSCR 1860.

Palestinians

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with counterparts in the EU and elsewhere on the number of incidents of the Israeli military shooting at fishing boats off Gaza and the number of fishermen so killed since August 2014.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK has not discussed with counterparts in the EU the issue of the number of incidents of the Israeli military shooting at fishing boats off Gaza and the number of fishermen killed since August 2014. However, we have discussed the issue with Israeli contacts and with Palestinian and International Non-Governmental Organisations.

Palestinians

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism allows the import of sufficient building materials.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are supporting the temporary Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) to facilitate the import of construction materials into Gaza. The Department for International Development is providing £0.7 million to the Materials Monitoring Unit which oversees and monitors the import, storage, supply and use of construction materials into Gaza under the GRM. Over 94,000 people have now been able to buy materials to repair homes that were damaged during the conflict. We welcome the June 2015 agreement between the Israeli and the Palestinian authorities on the new residential stream of the GRM, to allow imports of building materials into Gaza for the reconstruction of homes that were completely destroyed. The UK is also calling on all donors to disburse pledges made at the October 2014 Cairo Gaza Reconstruction Conference without delay so that the pace of reconstruction can increase.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what processes will initiate snap break of sanctions on Iran if a breach of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action takes place.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: If a party to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) thinks there has been a violation of the JCPoA they should notify the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission will discuss these concerns with a view to resolving them within 15 days. If the Joint Commission cannot resolve the matter, it will be considered by an Advisory Panel made up of the complainant, defendant and an independent party, and may also be considered in parallel by Foreign Ministers. If the concern still cannot be resolved and the complainant believes that the violation constitutes significant non-performance of JCPoA commitments then the matter will be escalated to the UN Security Council, which will vote on a resolution to continue the lifting of sanctions. If the Security Council does not adopt this resolution within 30 days, nuclear-related UN sanctions will automatically ‘snapback’. In addition to UN sanctions, the US and the EU can re-impose sanctions if Iran is in breach of its commitments.

Capital Punishment

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the future of his Department's global campaign for the abolition of the death penalty.

Mr David Lidington: The Government calls on all states to adopt an immediate moratorium on use of the death penalty in accordance with the relevant UN General Assembly resolution, and views this as part of the process towards complete abolition. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will continue to use its diplomatic and programmatic tools to work towards the goal of global abolition.

Nigeria: Bombings

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is providing to government authorities in northern Nigeria to tackle the effect of recent bomb attacks in the city of Gombe.

Grant Shapps: Terrorist attacks by Boko Haram in Gombe, elsewhere in Nigeria and in the wider region have brought untold misery to many. The UK remains firm in our determination to support Nigeria, and its neighbours, in their fight against terrorism. We are providing a substantial package of UK military, intelligence and development support to help Nigeria tackle Boko Haram. This package includes counter-terrorism cooperation, providing training on the response to terrorist attacks and bomb scene management. We are also working closely with Nigeria and our international partners to support the large numbers of people displaced by the conflict in the North East.

Kenya: Christianity

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect Christians in Kenya from persecution.

Grant Shapps: The promotion and protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief is a priority for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO).We regard freedom of thought, conscience or belief as a fundamental human right underpinning many other rights. Our officials in Kenya are working with civil society organisations, religious groups and the Kenyan government to promote tolerance and trust across communities. We are supporting a range of religious groups to work cooperatively to manage local tensions to ensure that the early warning signs of potential persecution are identified, and responded to, so as to mitigate the risk of violence. We are also supporting the Government of Kenya as part of its efforts to counter violent extremism, which fuels religious persecution. We have encouraged Kenya’s churches together with the National Council of Churches in Kenya, to continue to play a role in this work. We continue regular dialogue with faith leaders in Kenya, the UK and across the region to promote respect for all faiths.

Pakistan: Blasphemy

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with his Pakistani counterpart the abolition of the blasphemy laws used in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We regularly raise our concerns about Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and the need for reform, as well as concerns about specific cases where individuals have been accused of blasphemy. In February 2015, I raised UK concerns about the blasphemy laws with a group of visiting Pakistani Parliamentarians. In June, I conveyed to the High Commissioner for Pakistan our ongoing concern about the application of the blasphemy law in Pakistan. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed Pakistan’s blasphemy laws with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in November 2014 and in August, during wide-ranging discussions, raised broader UK concerns around religious freedom and human rights with Pakistan’s Interior Minister.In December 2014 my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister the member for Witney (Mr Cameron) also stressed our concerns about Pakistan’s blasphemy law with Prime Minister Sharif. We will ensure that this issue continues to be raised at the highest levels in Pakistan.

British Overseas Territories: Fisheries

Mr Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK Overseas Territories are known to have had illegal fishing activity take place in their waters in 2015.

Grant Shapps: Fisheries protection and enforcement is a delegated matter under the constitutions of the Overseas Territories. Between January and August 2015, four Territory governments have investigated alleged breaches of their domestic fisheries legislation.

Islamic State

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the appropriateness of the Turkish government's response to ISIS; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Turkey is a key security partner for the UK which has long played an important role in the Global Coalition’s efforts to defeat ISIL. It is a founding member of the Coalition, and a critical partner in restricting the flow of foreign fighters and finance to ISIL across its borders with Syria and Iraq. Its strong support to the Syrian moderate opposition, including through the US-led Train and Equip Programme, helps bolster this critical ground force in its struggle against ISIL. More recently, we welcome Turkey joining the Coalition airstrikes against ISIL in Syria, as well as the opening of Incirlik airbase to Coalition forces. This is having a real military impact, drastically reducing the flight times to reach targets in Syria. Furthermore, Turkey is playing a key role in the humanitarian effort. It hosts more than 2 million refugees fleeing from Syria and Iraq, and is facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid across the border.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Consultants

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what policy evaluations have been carried out by external organisations for his Department and its agencies in each financial year since 2010-11; whether the output of those evaluations was published; which organisation carried out each such evaluation; and what the value of each contract to provide that evaluation was.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Hungary: Refugees

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Hungarian government on the treatment of refugees in Hungary.

Mr David Lidington: The British Embassy in Budapest has been following closely the situation of refugees who enter Hungary and our staff have visited the border with Serbia, reception centres, and Keleti railway station in Budapest. They have also discussed this issue with the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will continue to monitor the situation in Hungary as elsewhere in Europe closely, and to press the case for a comprehensive plan to deal with the current situation as the Prime Minister has said. Collectively, the EU needs to deal with the causes of the crisis, not just its consequences. We will work with all our European partners on this, and we, along with France and Germany, called for an emergency summit which will take place on 14 September.

South Korea: Embassies

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reasons civil partnerships are not permitted in HM Embassy in South Korea.

Grant Shapps: We are awaiting confirmation from the authorities in the Republic of Korea that they would have no objection to our Embassy registering civil partnerships. Such cooperation is required under UK legislation.

Members: Correspondence

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Members for Ashfield and Leeds Central dated 16 June 2015.

Mr David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) responded to a joint letter from the hon. Member for Ashfield (Gloria De Piero) and the right hon. Member for Leeds Central, Yorkshire and Humberside (Hilary Benn) about Foreign and Commonwealth Office flag policy on 22 July 2015.

Afghanistan: Human Rights

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the US State Department report on Human Rights Practices in Afghanistan for 2014, published in June 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We share the concerns of the US State Department Report on Human Rights practices in Afghanistan which is why Afghanistan is one of 27 human rights priority countries for the UK. We recognise that although there has been significant progress in Afghanistan on human rights, particularly women’s rights since 2001, significant challenges remain and gains remain fragile. We have made long-term commitments to the country's future through financial aid and political support. In return, we expect to see clear progress from the Afghan National Unity Government, including on corruption, good governance and human rights. The UK Government is working closely with the Government of Afghanistan, local and international Non-Governmental Organisationss, civil society organisations and international partners to improve human rights, specifically the status of women and girls in Afghanistan, to enable them to participate fully in Afghanistan’s future.

Attorney General

Euthanasia

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Attorney General, in how many cases of assisted suicide the Crown Prosecution Service has received files in each of the last six years.

Robert Buckland: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) records show that, between 1st April 2009 and 10 September 2015, there have been 114 cases, recorded as assisted suicide or euthanasia, referred by the Police. 24 of these cases were later withdrawn by the police.   The CPS central record cannot be filtered to identify how many referrals were received in each year. This information could only be obtained by manually examining CPS case files, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Engineering: Employment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase the number of people employed in engineering from low income backgrounds; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: This Government is committed to ensuring the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) workforce is diverse, reflects wider society and makes use of all the talents available to it, including those from low income backgrounds. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) funds and works with partners on a number of programmes which encourage a diverse range of people into STEM. BIS established a programme jointly run by the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering aimed at understanding and addressing issues of diversity in the STEM workforce. As part of this programme the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Steering group recently launched their Engineering Engagement Programme. The programme aims to increase the number of people from low income backgrounds, women and black and minority ethnic backgrounds in engineering by changing the way employers recruit engineers.

Science: Capital Investment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if his Department will conduct a review into the adequacy of capital investment spending as part of the science research budget allocation; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the total amount that will be available to ring-fenced science and research funding organisations in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Government protected the science ring-fence in cash terms for financial year 2015/16 at £4.6bn. In addition the Chancellor announced in December 2014 a long-term commitment to investment in science infrastructure at £1.1bn per annum in real terms to 2021.Decisions on the amount and allocation of funding beyond 2015/16 will be made as part of the Spending Review. We cannot pre-judge the Spending Review outcome.

Science: Finance

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether it is his policy that the science ring-fence will remain in place.

Joseph Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today to the hon. Member for Coventry South (Jim Cunningham) to PQ UIN 8264.

Ordnance Survey

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether it is his policy to retain full public ownership of Ordnance Survey Limited; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on retaining full public ownership of the Met Office; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether officials in his Department have worked to assess the feasibility of a sale of his Department's stake in Ordnance Survey Ltd.

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether any officials in his Department have examined the feasibility of privatising the Land Registry.

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on retaining full public ownership of the Land Registry; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether any officials in his Department have worked on assessing the feasibility of privatising the Met Office.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is committed to ensuring the effective and efficient management of publicly owned assets and keeps ownership of all assets under review. Where there is no longer a strong policy reason for continued public ownership or where there is potential for an asset to operate more sensibly and efficiently in the private sector, the Government will continue to look into the potential sale of public sector assets.

Apprentices: Qualifications

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the current number of intermediary qualification apprenticeships offering qualifications equivalent to five GCSE passes.

Nick Boles: Information on apprenticeship participation by Level of study is published in Table 5 and Table 19 of a Statistical First Release (SFR): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held   An Intermediate Level Apprenticeship (Level 2) is considered equivalent to five GCSEs.

Apprentices

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of people currently enrolled on apprenticeships who were employed by the same organisation prior to the apprenticeship.

Nick Boles: Details on entry routes onto Apprenticeships can be found in the Apprenticeships Evaluation: Learners survey report online. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/387662/bis-14-1208-Apprenticeships-Evaluation-Learners-December-2014.pdf  In 2013/14, two thirds (64%) of apprentices worked for their employer before starting their apprenticeship. This has decreased since 2012/13 when it was 68%.

Higher Education: ICT

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) a comprehensive set of shared e-infrastructure services and (b) funding for such services are provided for the higher education sector.

Joseph Johnson: The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) is a sector owned charity, independent of Government and oversees the provision of e-infrastructure in higher education.   The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills through HEFCE and in conjunction with other sector funders (Scottish Funding Council, Higher Education Funding Council Wales, Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland) provides funding on an annual basis to JISC in support of the development, maintenance, and support of shared e-infrastructure services for the higher education sector. In 2015-16 HEFCE has provided JISC with £21 million in core funding and £19 million in capital funding.

Low Pay: Scotland

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of jobs in each Scottish parliamentary constituency have an hourly pay below the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Nick Boles: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of low pay from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earning (ASHE). However, the ASHE sample size is too small to give reliable estimates of low pay at the constituency level. Breakdowns of low pay at the regional level are available here – http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ashe/low-pay/april-2014/stb-2014-low-pay-estimates.html

Working Mothers: Discrimination

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many new and expectant mothers were (a) dismissed, (b) made compulsorily redundant where others in their workplace were not and (c) treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their job over the last five years.

Nick Boles: In 2014 the Government commissioned an extensive research project into perceived pregnancy and maternity discrimination in Great Britain. The research was jointly managed and funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, supported by the Government Equalities Office.   This is the largest ever study of pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination conducted in Great Britain. Interim findings were published in July 2015 and can be found at: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/publication/pregnancy-and-maternity-related-discrimination-and-disadvantage-first-findings-surveys-employers-and-0.   Final results, including how experiences vary by employer size, are due to be published later this year. These figures represent a one-year period. We do not have results spanning the last five years.   The results of the final report will inform any potential Government action.

Department for International Development

Nepal: Debts

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress has been made on obtaining debt relief for Nepal following the recent earthquake in that country.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Nepal’s overall public debt stood at USD 5.36 billion or 25.6% of GDP (with external debt at 16.1%) in FY 2014-15 (Ministry of Finance, 2015), following a steady decline over nearly a decade. This is comparatively a low level of debt and is due to: i) Government savings contributing to debt payback each year due to low budget execution and healthy growth in import-based revenues,ii) Low request for borrowing, andiii) Debt relief by the UK under Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) totalling GBP19.42 million between 2006/07 and 2012/13. As a result of the low and reducing levels of debt in Nepal, there has been no request from the Government for debt relief for the post-disaster reconstruction.

Gaza: Infrastructure

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will estimate the likely timetable for rebuilding infrastructure in Gaza following the July 2014 conflict.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Over 94,000 beneficiaries have so far been able to buy construction materials to repair their homes through the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM). The ‘Residential Stream’ of the GRM, launched on 25 June 2015, aims to facilitate the reconstruction of totally destroyed homes and infrastructure. As of 8th September, there are over 2,800 beneficiaries participating in the residential stream of the mechanism. The UK is the fourth largest donor to the GRM behind Norway, Germany and the Netherlands, providing a total of £700,000 since October 2014. The UN estimates that at the current rate, it may take 20 years to rebuild houses in the 2014 conflict. A more comprehensive lifting of restrictions as part of a political agreement is the only long-term solution for rebuilding infrastructure in Gaza.

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will respond to the Independent Commission for Aid Impact's Report on the Department for International Development's Contribution to Improving Nutrition published July 2014.

Grant Shapps: DFID provided a management response to the report on 30 July 2014 which can be seen at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-management-response-to-independent-commission-for-aid-impact-recommendation-on-dfids-contribution-to-improving-nutrition-june-2014.

Pakistan: Minority Groups

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make it her policy to make aid to Pakistan contingent on that country making progress on protecting religious and social minorities.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Our aid relationship with any government is based on an assessment of their commitment to our Partnership Principles, which include human rights.  The Government of Pakistan has publically recognised the problems facing minorities, and the need to bring an end to religious persecution. We remain fully committed to working in partnership with them to achieve this.

Ghana: Disability

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the UK is providing to disabled people in Ghana.

Grant Shapps: The UK supports a range of schemes that support disabled people in Ghana, including: An education programme providing scholarships for girls, including those living with disabilities and girls whose parents/guardians live with disabilities.A national cash transfer programme (the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Programme), which also targets those with disabilities.An entrepreneurship training/mentorship programme (Enhancing Growth in New Enterprises).One of our larger civil society programmes, (Strengthening Transparency and Accountability Responsiveness) which supports initiatives that work with people with disabilities.We are also supporting improvements to the quality of mental health care through working with the relevant regulatory body (Mental Health Authority) and two large NGOs (BasicNeeds and Christian Health Association of Ghana) to increase access to better care. DFID in Ghana is also developing links with the UK International Citizen Service Volunteer programme which works with disabled groups in the North of Ghana.  DFID Ghana’s Operational Plan 2011-2016 (updated December 2014) sets out the UK’s current priorities for development assistance in Ghana, as agreed with the Ghanaian authorities. This can be accessed through https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-ghana-operational-plan-2014.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much the Government spent on climate finance for (a) mitigation and (b) adaptation to developing countries in each year between 2009 and 2015.

Grant Shapps: UK Government support to help people both adapt to the impacts of climate change, and to mitigate its future impacts, is delivered in an integrated way through a range of programmes. Tracking spend on adaptation and mitigation only began in 2011 when the International Climate Fund (ICF) was established. Since 2011/12 approximate funding has been as follows: Adaptation 2011/12 - £136m2012/13 – £212m2013/14 – £228m Mitigation 2011/12 – £199m2012/13 - £272m2013/14 - £418m  Data for 2014/15 and 2015/16 will be published once available.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what changes she plans to make to Government development spending on climate finance for (a) mitigation and (b) adaptation between 2015 and 2020.

Grant Shapps: Future funding levels for total UK spend on climate change activities, as well as the relative priority between themes such as mitigation and adaptation, will be determined as part of the current Spending Review process.

New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of the G7's New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition on small-scale farmers in Africa; and if she will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: Every DFID programme which is contributing to the New Alliance initiative, including both country-level food security and nutrition programmes and funding for wider agricultural policy reforms, is subject to DFID’s annual review processes. In addition, partner governments conduct annual reviews of the effects of the New Alliance at country level. Reviews will help track progress against the top line New Alliance goal: to lift 50 million people in developing African nations out of poverty over ten years, through increasing investment in agriculture.

North Korea: Droughts

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking in response to reports by UNICEF of a serious drought in North Korea.

Mr Desmond Swayne: We are not currently responding directly to the situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. However, we continue to monitor the situation in DPRK through our humanitarian department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office network.

Syria

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian needs of people living in Rojava; and what steps her Department is taking to meet such needs.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Provision of humanitarian aid is prioritised through joint UN and NGO needs assessments, which aim to identify which populations are most in need, where they are located and what their key support needs are. We are watching the latest developments in the cantons of Afrin, Kobane and Jazira closely, and continue to call on all sides of the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and protect civilians. DFID is providing humanitarian assistance through our support to the UN appeal for Syria, including provision of food to affected cities in both Afrin and Hassakeh.  To date, the UK has pledged £1 billion in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the region, of which £500 million has been allocated to support people inside Syria.

Africa: Overseas Aid

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department's (a) total expenditure and (b) expenditure on governance, democracy and human rights projects has been in each country in Africa in each of the last five years.

Grant Shapps: High level figures for DFID Bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) for African countries are shown in the table below. 2013 is the latest year for which data is available. Also shown in the table are amounts disbursed in respect of sectors in DFID’s thematic reporting pillar Government and State Building which encompasses governance, democracy and human rights themes. Country Specific amounts are contained in the spreadsheet attached to this response.£ Thousands 20092010201120122013Total DFID Bilateral ODA to African Countries£1,489,217£1,597,602£1,786,999£1,894,353£2,123,681Total DFID Bilateral ODA to African Countries in Governance Sector£263,407£233,850£253,519£244,426£290,571



DFID ODA to African Countries
(Word Document, 23.69 KB)

Overseas Aid

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Prime Minister's statement of 7 September 2015, Official Report, column 23-25, when she plans to announce details of the reshaping of the aid budget referred to in that statement.

Justine Greening: The 2015 Spending Review announcement will be made on the 25th November. This will set out Departmental settlements for the period to 2020/21.

Developing Countries: Medical Records

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what guidelines her Department follows in regards to health data sharing in the countries in which it works.

Grant Shapps: When working in the health sector, DFID usually relies on national data sets or those collected by other partners, such as Demographic and Health Surveys. We usually encourage sharing of data and have worked with the World Health Organization and other UN agencies to encourage them to share data more actively with permission from governments. Research funded by DFID is covered by our Research Open and Enhanced Access Policy. Open access refers to irrevocable and free online access by any user worldwide to the full version of the scientific and scholarly material. The policy includes the sharing of data from which any research is derived. The policy recommends that raw datasets are deposited in a suitable open access discipline or institutional repository within 12 months of final data collection. Researchers should also retain and provide free on request raw datasets for a minimum of five years after project completion. The full open access policy is available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-research-open-and-enhanced-access-policy.

Social Enterprises: Investment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what definition of social investment is used by her Department.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID does not have a definition of “social investment”.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs: Codes of Practice

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the SEN code of practice.

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local authorities are including independent providers of children's services in their local offers.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has invested heavily in practical and financial support for the implementation of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) reforms. We have also put in place a range of measures to gather, and act upon, information and intelligence on the effectiveness of implementation. This includes: a team of DfE advisers to offer local areas one-to-one support;termly surveys of local authorities to assess their progress, the results of which are published;providing resources to enable Contact a Family to conduct a parallel survey of Parent Carer Forums, the results of which are also published; andfunding a number of voluntary organisations, and working closely with our strategic partner, the Council for Disabled Children, to gather intelligence from, and offer support to, local areas.   From next year, all local areas will be subject to inspection of their SEND arrangements by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission. Ofsted will consult on the proposed SEND inspection framework in the autumn.   Progress in the first year has been encouraging. For example, all local areas have a local offer in place and a plan to ensure smooth transition to the new system. Results from the first 781 respondents to a family survey on Independent Supporters indicate that: over 90% found the Independent Support service very or extremely useful;85% would like further support on EHC planning in the future;nearly 75% would recommend IS service;over 96% said support was available when they needed it. This is, however, a major reform programme and we continue to monitor progress.   The Children and Families Act 2014 requires all local authorities to publish a local offer of the services and support available to children and young people in their area with special educational needs and disabilities.   The local offer should include specialist provision such as special schools, non-maintained special schools, independent special schools and specialist post-16 institutions which are either within the local area or where the local authority would expect to make placements. In addition, there is a statutory requirement to refer to the list of independent special schools and independent specialist colleges approved by the Secretary of State under Section 41 of the 2014 Act. This can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/section-41-secretary-of-state-approved-list. All local authorities have included this information in their local offer.

GCSE

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary schools chose not to publish an overview of their GCSE results for the school year 2014-15.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not held by the Department for Education.

GCSE

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she plans to require secondary schools to publish an overview of their annual GCSE results.

Nick Gibb: Paragraph 5 of Schedule 4 of the School Information (England) Regulations 2008 requires maintained secondary schools to publish their most recent key stage 4 results on their websites. In particular they must publish: The percentage achieving 5 + A*-C GCSEs (or equivalent) including English and mathematics GCSEs;the percentage achieving the English Baccalaureate; andthe percentage of pupils making expected progress. Academies should also publish examination and assessment information as set out in their individual funding agreements.

Free Schools

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department's commitment to open 500 Free schools by 2020 as announced on 2 September 2015 will include those schools that open as (a) converter and (b) sponsored academies.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education’s commitment to open 500 free schools during this Parliament will not include schools that will open as converter or sponsored academies.

Teachers: Training

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to increase the skills and qualification level of the early years workforce.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Early years providers play an important role in developing their workforce in line with Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The EYFS sets clear staffing and qualification requirements for the workforce. The skills of the workforce have increased significantly, with 87% of full day care staff holding level 3 qualification or higher (as of 2013). In order to meet the requirements of the EYFS, and to increase the skills and qualification level of the early years workforce, the Department for Education has:   Developed a robust new set of standards for the Early Years Educator qualification at Level 3. Staff operating at Level 3 must also have GCSEs in English and maths at grade C or above. The department has recently made these GCSEs an entry to work requirement rather than an entry to training requirement. This has opened up training routes, ensuring more people with the right skills are able to join the early years workforce, including individuals on an apprenticeship. Introduced the Early Years Teachers Status for graduates who specialise in early years. Early years teachers must meet the same entry and qualifications requirements as teachers of older children, including skills tests, and a robust set of teachers’ standards.  The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2 Guidance on early years educator criteria can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-educator-level-3-qualifications-criteria The teachers’ standards (early years) can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-teachers-standards

Children: Day Care

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to ensure that there will be sufficient high quality early education places to meet the proposed target of 30 hours of free childcare a week for working parents of three and four year olds.

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to ensure there is adequate funding made available to childcare providers to provide sufficient high quality childcare places.

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to increase the supply of high quality childcare.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is committed to delivering flexible, affordable and quality childcare for parents. We are carefully consulting parents, employers, providers and local authorities, and reviewing of the cost of providing childcare with a commitment to increase the average funding rate paid to providers. The market is growing (with around 230,000 more places than in 2009) and has already demonstrated that it is able to respond through the roll-out of the entitlement for disadvantaged two-year-olds introduced in the last Parliament. We recognise that there is natural growth in the childcare system, we can and should encourage new providers to enter the childcare market or existing providers to expand. We have supported this expansion with changes made to reduce bureaucracy, helping schools to provide places, and by enabling the setting up of childminder agencies. Our new entitlement of 30 hours of free childcare provides an opportunity for further growth for existing childcare providers to expand and for new providers to enter the market, helping to build a stronger economy and give parents increased choice. Full roll-out is scheduled for September 2017, and our approach will be informed by the experiences of pilot areas in 2016. We want to learn from the experience of early implementers to ensure that the market works effectively for both parents and providers. We are in the process of undertaking a review of the cost of provision and have committed to increasing the average funding rate providers receive, which will help the sector to grow. It is important that the hourly rate for the childcare entitlement strikes the right balance between being fair for providers and delivering value for money to the taxpayer.

Teachers: Training

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have (a) begun and (b) graduated from early years initial teacher training courses in each year since the introduction of the early years teacher status.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Early Years Foundation Stage sets staffing and qualification requirements for early years providers. The government would like to see more trained graduates in the workforce, and we are supporting this by providing funding for course fees and bursaries to eligible trainees, and also funding for employers to support trainees.   The number of graduates in the workforce continues to rise, and between 2008 and 2013 the proportion of full day care staff with a degree or higher increased from 5% to 13%. The National Day Nursery Association’s June 2015 survey showed that 88% of settings employ a graduate Early Years Teacher. There are currently 15,962 individuals who have achieved Early Years Professional Status and Early Years Teacher Status.   Since the inception of early years initial teacher training in September 2013, we have recruited an overall number of 3206 trainees, of which 2358 have graduated and been awarded Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS). The 2014/15 cohort has 421 individuals still in training and awaiting an outcome. We have set high standards for individuals gaining Early Years Teacher Status as we want individuals of the highest calibre in these roles.

Education: West Midlands

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) capital and (b) revenue funding has been allocated by her Department to each local authority in the West Midlands in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Capital funding allocations for West Midland local authorities for financial years 2011 to 2015 are shown in the table below:£ millions2011-122012-132013-142014-15Birmingham187.4127.070.377.7Coventry21.218.134.155.7Dudley8.810.512.511.7Sandwell48.021.726.923Solihull6.59.07.97.7Walsall34.522.98.813.6Wolverhampton66.554.960.615.0Staffordshire46.362.631.037.0Stoke-on-Trent86.964.536.77.2Herefordshire11.97.310.312.3Worcestershire30.526.829.022.8Shropshire12.110.610.711.8Telford and Wrekin20.324.927.859.4Warwickshire26.836.633.337.6 Notes: 1. Capital allocations includes capital grant and supported borrowing allocations. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest £100,000. 3. Funding in 2015-16 is still subject to project progress and is therefore subject to change. The funding figures provided for 2015/16 only include formulaic programmes and payments to date. Further funding is yet to be released for capital programmes dependent upon project progress and this has not been reflected in the figures.   The main revenue funding allocations from this department to local authorities are made up of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), pupil premium, and education services grant (ESG).   Details of these allocations to all local authorities for financial years 2011 to 2016 (from 2013 only for ESG), including those in the West Midlands, can be found at the links below:   2011-12 data: DSG: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http:/www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium/a0070267/dsg-and-pupil-premium-allocations-for-2011-12   Pupil Premium: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium/a0075963/pupil-premium-2011-12   2012-13 data: DSG and Pupil Premium: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2013pupilpremium/a00200465/schools-funding-settlement-2012-13   2013-14 data: DSG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2013-to-2014   Pupil Premium: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2013-to-2014-final-allocation-tables   ESG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-services-grant 2014-15 data: DSG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2014-to-2015   Pupil Premium: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2014-to-2015-final-allocations   ESG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-services-grant-2014-to-2015 2015-16 data: DSG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2015-to-2016   Pupil Premium (provisional): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2015-to-2016-allocations   ESG (provisional): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-services-grant-2015-to-2016

Ministry of Justice

Legal Aid Scheme: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for legal aid have been made in (a) Copeland and (b) Cumbria in each of the last 10 years; and how many such applications have been successful.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The following tables show the total volume of Legal Aid applications submitted per financial year in (a) Copeland and (b) Cumbria, and how many of such applications were granted. Prior to the reforms introduced by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, the annual cost of legal aid to the taxpayer was £2bn, which made our system one of the most expensive in the world. Even after reform it will still be very generous, but finite resources will be properly targeted at the cases that need it most. Applications made and granted for criminal legal aid in Copeland, 2006-07 to 2014-15 Number of applications and grants for legal aid funding for cases heard at the Magistrates' courts and Crown courts for the local authority area of Copeland, 2006-07 to 2014-15.  Financial YearMagistrates' Court Crown Court1  Volume of applicationsVolume of grants Volume of applicationsVolume of grants  2006-07498452 --  2007-081,3861,326 --  2008-091,3271,261 --  2009-10992953 --  2010-11878825 171170  2011-12602555 147146  2012-13468439 155153  2013-14412360 213212  2014-15287263 105105  1Crown court means testing did not begin until 2010 so no records are available before then Applications made and granted for criminal legal aid in Cumbria, 2006-07 to 2014-15 Number of applications and grants for legal aid funding for cases heard at the Magistrates' courts and Crown courts for the procurement region of Cumbria, 2006-07 to 2014-15.  Financial YearMagistrates' Court Crown Court1  Volume of applicationsVolume of grants Volume of applicationsVolume of grants  2006-072,2101,928 --  2007-085,3184,943 --  2008-095,2694,867 --  2009-104,7024,365 --  2010-113,7543,391 1,0161,003  2011-123,5943,227 1,0801,073  2012-133,0062,732 969960  2013-142,6262,321 1,1391,135  2014-152,6152,353 1,1691,160  1Crown court means testing did not begin until 2010 so no records are available before then Civil representation applications received and granted, 2006-07 to 2014-15.Volume of applications received and subsequently granted for full licensed civil representation in the Cumbria procurement area and Copeland local authority area, 2006-07 to 2014-15. Financial YearCumbria CopelandVolume of applicationsVolume granted Volume of applicationsVolume granted2006-071,5671,272 2802242007-081,4411,167 2832232008-091,288989 2421762009-101,4521,174 2431882010-111,4441,153 3212442011-121,3371,050 3392692012-131,4961,175 3803092013-14725646 1601432014-15663590 149135

Joint Enterprise

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review and clarify the law on joint enterprise.

Mike Penning: The Department has been considering the Justice Select Committee’s recommendation that the law in this area should be reviewed. The Department will respond formally to the Committee in due course.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2015 to Question 4072, what proportion of appeals to the Tribunals Service from appellants in England relating to (a) personal independence payments, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker's allowance and (e) tax credits were successful in (i) each quarter in 2014 and (ii) the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike Penning: The First-tier Tribunal – Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits. The table below shows the proportion of appeals in England1 relating to (a) Personal Independence Payments (PIP), (b) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), (c) Income Support (IS), (d) Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and (e) Tax Credits which were successful2 in (i) each quarter in 2014 and (ii) April to June 2015, the latest period for which figures are available. PIP3ESA4ISJSATax Credits5January – March 2014 47%24%22%22%April – June 201426.2%44.9%23.9%24.2%23.4%July – September 201437.0%48.4%30.9%34.3%24.9%October – December 201440.8%50.3%38.2%32.9%28.1%January – March 201539.8%51.3%33.0%26.6%26.6%April – June 201547%52%34%30%33% Notes:1. Excludes SSCS Scotland processing centre and the following venues: Aberystwyth, Bridgend, Cardiff, Caernafon, Carmarthen, Colwyn Bay, Cwmbran, Haverfordwest Llandrindod Wells, Langstone, Llandudno, Llanelli, Llangefni, Llwynypia, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath, Port Talbot, Newton Abbott, Newtown, Pontypridd, Pontypool, Prestatyn, Swansea, Welshpool, Wrexham, Bargoed and Ebbw Vale2. decided in favour of the appellant3. Personal Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance was introduced on 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments)4. Includes Employment Support Allowance and Employment Support Allowance (Reassessments)5. Includes Working Family Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and is the best data that are available. The data may differ slightly to that of the published stats as this data was run on a different date.

Employment: Discrimination

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding his Department has allocated in 2015-16 for the provision of specialist legal advice and representation to new and expectant mothers who may have experienced unlawful discrimination at work.

Mike Penning: We have specifically protected legal aid (both for initial advice and representation), subject to the statutory means and merits tests, for civil legal services provided in relation to contravention of the Equality Act 2010. Publicly funded advice continues to be available for Employment Tribunal discrimination claims, and publicly funded advice and representation is available in the Employment Appeal Tribunal. This therefore includes funding for new and expectant mothers who may have experienced discrimination. Legal aid is a demand-led scheme and funding will be provided wherever the statutory tests are met. The Department does not allocate a specific amount in advance.

Family Courts: Contempt of Court

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason contempt of court laws do not apply in the family court.

Mike Penning: The law relating to contempt of court applies generally to all courts and this includes the family court. The legislation establishing the family court provides that the family court may make any order (including orders punishing for contempt of court) that could be made by the High Court or the county court if the proceedings were in those respective courts; and the powers of judges in the family court to punish for contempt are proportionate to their level of seniority.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department (a) expected to receive and (b) received from employment tribunal fees in the year following the introduction of the scheme.

Mike Penning: In a single financial year, the Department expected to receive income from employment tribunal fees of £10m. In the first full year following introduction, the Department collected £9m, broadly in line with expectations.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he will publish his Department's review of employment tribunal fees.

Mike Penning: On 11 June we announced the start of the post-implementation review of the introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunals on the Ministry of Justice website. We have received a range of views and evidence from a variety of sources and are giving all relevant material the appropriate consideration.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the annual cost of administering employment tribunal fee remission applications.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the annual administration costs of the employment tribunal fee scheme.

Mike Penning: The Department does not hold information requested. Annual costs of administering employment tribunal fee remission applications and annual administration costs of the employment tribunal fee scheme form part of the wider costs of operating and administering the Employment Tribunals. In 2014/15, the full cost for operating the Employment Tribunals’ was £71.4m.

Magistrates' Courts: Bury

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will assess the effects on the (a) cost and (b) duration of journeys between prison and court of the closure of Bury Magistrates' Court.

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will estimate the initial incidental cost to the public purse of transferring the work of Bury Magistrates' Court to Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court.

Mike Penning: No decision has been taken to close Bury Magistrates’ Court. We will consider all identified impacts and costs once the consultation closes and all responses have been fully analysed.

Magistrates' Courts: Greater Manchester

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much unused (a) physical courtroom capacity and (b) court time there is at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court in the last year; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of unused capacity at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court to accommodate current levels of work at Bury Magistrates' Court.

Mike Penning: No decision has been taken to close Bury Magistrates’ Court. Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court has 18 court rooms and operated at approximately 60% utilisation in 14/15, with 40% of its capacity being unused (8,928 hours). Bury Magistrates’ Court carried out 5,026 hours of criminal work in 2014/15 which is proposed to move to Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for employment tribunal fee remission were (a) received and (b) awarded in each month since the introduction of tribunal fees.

Mike Penning: Data on the number of employment tribunal issue fee remission applications received and granted is published quarterly here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics. The table below provides monthly data on of the number of Employment Tribunal issue fee remission applications received and granted from the introduction of fees in July 2013 to June 2015. Employment Tribunal issue fee remission applications received and granted by month, July 20131 to June 20152  YearMonthRemission applicationsOf whichFully remittedPartially remittedTotal 2013July19827027 August6961807187 September95826110271 October12803026308 November108228810298 December1058295183132014January122034722369 February114136514379 March120140528433 April80426823291 May52118612198 June60626024284 July87534528373 August73829622318 September80433523358 October79738216398 November67029720317 December726330193492015January87639818416 February81036629395 March87838525410 April73935316369 May76338728415 June77134825373Source: Jadu Ltd, Ministry of Justice suppliers of Employment Tribunal fees systemNotes:1. July figures are from 29 July 2013 (when the employment tribunal fees were introduced)2. Figures in this table come from the same database as the experimental statistics in Annex D of Tribunal and Gender Recognition Statistics but may differ slightly from published data. Published data are based on the date the issue fee request was made, whereas this table is based on the date of the remission application.The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prime Minister

Peers

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, what the average annual cost to the public purse is of a Member of the House of Lords; and how many peerages he estimates will be created over the next 12 months.

Mr David Cameron: The cost of the House of Lords is a matter for the House authorities. Any peerages to be created would be made in accordance with established procedure.

Fracking

Cat Smith: To ask the Prime Minister, whether he read the report, Shale Gas: Rural Economy Impacts, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in March 2014.

Mr David Cameron: This was a draft internal DEFRA paper which was not analytically robust. The UK has a regulatory regime that will ensure that the exploration and production of shale gas can be carried out in a safe and environmentally sound manner. We are committed to ensuring that communities feel the benefits of fracking. Investment in shale could reach £33 billion and support 64,000 jobs in the oil, gas, construction, engineering and chemical sectors. That would be good news for the whole of the UK economy.

Intelligence Services

Ian Murray: To ask the Prime Minister, whether the Security Services have intercepted any communications by (a) Members of the Scottish Parliament, (b) Members of the Welsh Assembly, (c) Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly and (d) UK Members of the European Parliament.

Ian Murray: To ask the Prime Minister, whether the Wilson Doctrine (a) applies and (b) has in the past applied to Members of the devolved assemblies and UK Members of the European Parliament.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the right hon. Lord Wallace of Saltaire to the noble Lord Strasburger on 3 July 2013, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA238.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Roger Mullin: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will request information from Sir John Chilcott on (a) how many people have yet to respond to letters sent as part of the Maxwellisation process prior to the finalisation of the report of the Iraq Inquiry and (b) the names of each such person.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 8 September 2015 from Sir John Chilcot to the Foreign Affairs Committee published on its website.

Prime Minister: UK Membership of EU

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Prime Minister, which external organisations he has met to discuss the consequences of the UK leaving the EU in each of the last three years; and how many times he has met each such organisation.

Mr David Cameron: Details of my meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and are available via the gov.uk website.

Prime Minister

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Prime Minister, who the acting Prime Minister would be if he were incapacitated.

Mr David Cameron: As has been the practice under successive administrations, appropriate arrangements would be put in place.

Ministry of Defence

Iraq: Arms Trade

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British arms (a) the Government and (b) British companies have sold to Iraqi military forces to combat ISIL.

Mr Philip Dunne: The UK Government is committed to assisting the Government of Iraq (GoI) in alleviating the suffering of those Iraqis targeted by Daesh, the so-called "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) group and to restore stability and security across the country.Details of military goods sold by the UK Government to Iraqi military forces are published in the UK Strategic Export Controls Annual Report at the following link:www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategicexportcontrolsannualreport.The most recent report, which covers 2014, was published in July 2015. Together with the previous report, it indicates that there were no Government-to-Government sales of military goods to Iraqi military forces in 2013 or 2014. In addition, there is no record of any sales of military goods from the UK Government to Iraqi military forces in the period from January to the end of June 2015. This period will be covered in the next Annual Report published in 2016.With regard to military goods exported by UK companies to Iraq, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, is the appropriate UK licensing authority. The Government holds information on export licensing decisions for military goods from the UK to Iraq but it does not hold data on actual sales of defence exports and has no information on whether any such exports to Iraq have been used specifically to combat ISIL or for other defence or security purposes.I can inform you that 30 Individual Export Licences have been issued for military goods from the UK to Iraq for the period from January 2014 to the end of March 2015. Data on these 30 export licences is publicly available via the Government's Strategic Export Controls: Reports and Statistics website https:// www. exportcontroldb.bis.gov. uk/sdb/fox/sdb/SDBHOME. Data covering the period 1 April to 30 June 2015 is due to be published in October 2015, while data on the export of military goods from the UK to Iraq prior to January 2014 is also available on the same website.In addition the UK Government is providing extensive support to the GOI in the continuing fight against ISIL, with the gifting of equipment forming a significant part of this. Previously, Her Majesty's Government has gifted 50 tonnes of non-lethal support, 40 heavy machine guns and nearly half a million rounds of ammunition to the Kurdish Peshmerga. The latest equipment to be gifted to the Peshmerga consists of additional medical supplies. The supplies consist of items such as tourniquets, bandage kits and dressings for wounds and fill a significant gap in their resources, leading to the preservation of life and proper treatment of injuries sustained in combat.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Local Education Authority areas are planned to host new Combined Cadet Force units; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: It has not yet been decided in which Local Education Authority areas new cadet units in schools will be opened.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Budget Statement of 8 July 2015, Official Report, column 325,  what definition he plans to use of less affluent areas when prioritising expansion of cadet merits; and what estimate he has made of the number of (a) state and (b) independent schools in those areas.

Mark Lancaster: The definition of less affluent areas has not been finally decided, but it is expected that the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) will be used for England. For the Devolved Administrations it is expected that the Welsh and Scottish indices of Multiple Deprivation and the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure will be used. No estimate has yet been made of the number of state and independent schools in less affluent areas.

Armed Forces: Training

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the overall budget of each of the Ministry of Defence's UK training camps or bases was in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The volume of information sought could only be compiled at disproportionate cost. In addition, training can be conducted at establishments other than those specifically designated to deliver training, and it is not practicable to distinguish training-related costs from non-training-related costs in those cases.However, information currently available on the operating costs of establishments whose stated purpose is to deliver training is as follows:Establishment2007-08(£ million)2008-09£ million)2009-10£ million)2010-11(£ million)2011-12(£ million)2012-13(£ million)Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth12.513.113.313.814.815.5Defence Academy (all sites)125.1126.7124.3118.6115.0121.0RAF College Cranwell 115.2113.7100.2101.293.6Royal Military Academy Sandhurst69.563.454.948.246.456.3These costs include expenditure on the cost of employment of personnel based at the establishment, infrastructure, inventory and equipment support. The costs will also include landlord services and facilities for lodger units, where applicable.We are not required to retain financial records for more than seven financial years, including the financial year in progress.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many former service personnel have contacted his Department after receiving a financial settlement made under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme to seek further funding; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: Between 6 April 2005 and 31 March 2015 (the latest data currently available) 1,345 former Service personnel registered an additional or exceptional claim, reconsideration or appeal following an initial compensation award under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.A biannual official statistic provides summary statistics on claims and awards made under the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme, paying compensation for injury, illness or death caused by Service. This is published on the Gov.UK website at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/armed-forces-compensation-scheme-statistics-index

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what advice or guidance his Department provides to injured personnel who receive a financial settlement under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme on (a) protection of the award through investment and (b) protection of means-tested benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to create a scheme to protect the financial settlements made under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme for personnel with traumatic brain injuries; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) provides compensation for illness and injuries, including brain injuries, caused by Service from 6 April 2005. All recipients are awarded a lump sum for pain and suffering. In the event of serious injuries, an income stream, known as the Guaranteed Income Payment, is also paid. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is legally obliged to pay any AFCS award direct to the claimant. However, as part of the accompanying notification process, injured personnel and their families are advised to obtain independent financial advice. As part of the AFCS package, this includes the free Money Advice Service, set up by the Government and run by the Consumer Financial Education Body. Other financial tools have also been made available to the wounded sick and injured (notably Money Force). As part of the core recovery events various other education initiatives are undertaken, such as ‘you and your money’ modules. Further the MOD is working to establish a Service package that covers three core areas: financial capability education and training (throughout the Service career); financial guidance (directed towards AFCS recipients); and financial advice (provided by Independent Financial Advisors). In the case of serious injury, the single Service, the individual, the family and the Veterans Welfare Service work together to protect the long term interests of the individual and their family. Separately from the AFCS, under the Mental Health Capacity Act of 2005, if it is believed the individual lacks the capacity to make financial decisions themselves, it is possible to make and obtain power of attorney which allows nominated individuals to manage the financial affairs of an affected person. Injured personnel and their families are also advised to get independent advice in regard to issues around the protection of personnel who are classified as vulnerable adults (in a legal sense). These have generally been managed from the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centres as most cases are resident there for extended periods if their injuries are severe. Clinicians give opinion on cognitive ability and the legal protection process then commences, but this is not a military process. The chain of command has a responsibility to monitor and advise, but decisions often come down to the legal next of kin.

Cruise Missiles

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) potential vulnerability of UK cruise missile guidance systems to interference from new Russian weapons and (b) continuing military effectiveness of UK cruise missiles; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Defence regularly assesses the capability effectiveness of its missile systems. I am withholding the results of these assessments as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our Armed Forces and allies.

Armed Forces

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to retain personnel in the armed forces.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to prevent veteran service personnel leaving to join private sector companies.

Mark Lancaster: All members of the Armed Forces receive an attractive package of terms and conditions of service which include a competitive salary with incremental pay scales, a non-contributory pension scheme, subsidised accommodation and access to free medical and dental care. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) also uses a variety of financial incentives to assist with recruitment and retention of Armed Forces personnel to tackle shortages in particular areas. The Services monitor outflow very carefully, although it should be recognised that some churn in strength, particularly in the lower ranks, is welcome and helps to refresh the Armed Forces. Instances of high outflow are mitigated through a variety of management actions which include extensions of Service, financial retention initiatives and inter-Service transfers. The MOD has long standing links with private sector companies, and we work closely with them to help resettle Service personnel at the end of their Service careers through programmes such as the Career Transition Partnership.

Nuclear Weapons: Transport

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what notice is given to emergency services in advance of visits by nuclear convoys.

Penny Mordaunt: Police forces are always notified in advance of a convoy being routed through their area. Police forces may advise fire and rescue services of the presence of the convoy if it is moving into the vicinity of a fire service operation.I am withholding specific information on the period of notice given to the emergency services as its disclosure would prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of the Armed Forces.

Submarines: Accidents

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement of 7 September 2015 on Royal Navy operations, when the Department was first made aware of the information that indicates that a UK submarine was responsible for snagging the Karen's nets.

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement of 7 September 2015 on Royal Navy operations, if he will publish all information that the Royal Navy provided which indicated that a UK submarine was responsible for the snagging of the Karen's nets on 15 April 2015.

Penny Mordaunt: Detailed analysis of operational records is routine, and this revealed that a UK submarine was involved in the incident with the Fishing Vessel Karen. Once this new information was confirmed, the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon) was informed on 6 August 2015.During August, I held meetings to establish the facts, question the Royal Navy and discuss changes to policy to ensure the safety of fishing vesssels. I then took the earliest opportunity to inform the House and put the public record straight on 7 September 2015.I am withholding further information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to speed up the processing of benefit claims; what effect such measures are having on processing times in (a) the UK on (b) the smallest area that can be distinguished which includes Nottingham North constituency.

Priti Patel: We are committed to ensuring benefits are processed as quickly as possible.   Over the last three years we have seen a marked improvement. The improvement in the experience of our customers was shared in the recently published Annual Report and Accounts, 2014-15 here:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015   We are unable to provide data specifically for Nottingham North constituency.

Executives: Unemployment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people declaring themselves as a Company Director have applied for universal credit to date; whether their household income was considered before a decision was made on their application; and what proportion of such claims have been successful.

Priti Patel: We do not keep records of this type of information.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Disqualification

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many suspensions have been applied to jobseeker's allowance claims in each year since 2010; and how many such suspensions have resulted in the immediate withdrawal of benefit payments.

Priti Patel: The information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The information that is available, on the number of adverse Jobseeker's Allowance sanction decisions made in each year since 2010, is published and available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/: Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Access to Work Programme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria his Department applies to identify those people in receipt of Access to Work support.

Justin Tomlinson: I am interpreting this question as asking for the definition of people who are helped by Access to Work. The following definition of the number of people helped in a given year is provided in the published statistics: "individuals who have been assessed within the year or for whom there is an [Access to Work] element where approval has been made (including nil cost) and the element has been made available within the year."

Access to Work Programme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria his Department has set for claimants of Access to Work support to qualify for the maximum level of support.

Justin Tomlinson: The £40,800 per year limit to individual Access to Work grants will be applied to new applicants from October 1st 2015. Individuals with current Access to Work grants will not be subject to the limit until April 2018. There will be no difference in criteria applied to customers affected by limit compared with those who are not.

Universal Credit: EU Nationals

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of whether EU nationals are entitled under EU law to claim universal credit on the same basis as UK nationals.

Priti Patel: EEA national jobseekers are not entitled to Universal Credit.  However, EEA nationals who are employed or self-employed in the UK and those who become involuntarily unemployed or temporarily incapable of work after having worked here are entitled to claim Universal Credit.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2015 to Question 7129, whether his Department has considered the effect of changes in housing benefit on youth homelessness provision; and whether it is his Department's policy to classify residents of these services as vulnerable.

Justin Tomlinson: This government is determined to end long term youth unemployment, and support all young people into work. In order to prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 we will remove automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. There are no planned changes to Housing Benefit entitlement as this policy change only impacts UC.

Vulnerable Adults

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 1.159 of the Summer Budget 2015, what criteria his Department plans to use to classify people as vulnerable.

Justin Tomlinson: This Government is determined to end long term youth unemployment, and support all young people into work. In order to prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 we will remove automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. This measure ensures young people in the benefits system face the same choices as young people who work and who may not be able to afford to leave home. However, we will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. Government will consider the impact in line with our legal obligations as part of that process. We have invited key stakeholders to engage with the Department on this policy.

Universal Credit

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's document, Suicide and Self Harm Declarations - Appendix 2 (Six Point Plan), when that document was first issued to staff of his Department based in Glasgow and Bolton who are directly involved in the rollout of universal credit; how many times since that document was issued such staff contacted emergency services about a claimant according to the procedure set out in that plan; and how many times since that document was issued managers have conducted a review of an incident with such staff as stipulated by the Six Point Plan.

Priti Patel: Operational Staff are specially trained to assist vulnerable individuals, including those with mental health issues; they are trained to look for signs of mental health issues and can refer individuals to our specialist staff and offer more information on available support on request. Staff are periodically reminded of the Suicide and Self-Harm policy that has been in place since April 2011 for all staff across the Department, including those Universal Credit staff at Glasgow and Bolton. Bolton Service Centre has contacted the emergency services twice with regards to Universal Credit claimants. Glasgow has contacted the emergency services zero times. As per the guidance, both Bolton incidents were reviewed and recorded appropriately.

Work Capability Assessment

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the document, Mortality Statistics: Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance, published August 2015, if he will review the operation of the Work Capability Assessment.

Priti Patel: We are committed to ensuring the WCA operates as effectively as possible. Our commitment to this is evidenced by the fact that we have conducted a Department-led review, an evidenced based review and 5 independent reviews.

Children: Poverty

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department is monitoring the effect of the measures in the Summer Budget 2015 on child poverty; and what steps he plans to take to address any such increase.

Priti Patel: This Government has carefully considered all measures introduced in the Summer Budget. This Government is committed to reducing child poverty, and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to get on in life. As part of this we are introducing new life chances measures to drive action on addressing the root causes of disadvantage.

Social Security Benefits: Electronic Government

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support (a) all benefit claimants and (b) benefit claimants recovering from an illness or suffering a disability in using digital and online software to make claims.

Justin Tomlinson: All Department for Work and Pensions’ digital services are designed and built in line with Government Digital Service guidelines, and two international standards for IT accessibility (ISO 9241-171:2008 and WCAG version 2.00). We design services around users’ needs, by conducting research with users. As the Department builds more digital services we will provide necessary support to access them.

Social Security Benefits: Electronic Government

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department's IT systems are as user-friendly as possible for benefit claimants.

Justin Tomlinson: All Department for Work and Pensions’ digital services are designed and built in line with Government Digital Service guidelines, and two international standards for IT accessibility (ISO 9241-171:2008 and WCAG version 2.00). We design services around users’ needs, by conducting research with users. To ensure our services meet our high standards, they are tested during the development process and prior to implementation. Feedback from users of the services is encouraged and acted upon.

Interpreters: Hearing Impairment

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons his Department decided not to commission an independent body to conduct the market review of British Sign Language interpreters.

Justin Tomlinson: The review does not intend to make recommendations but to obtain a clearer picture of current and projected supply and demand for stakeholders, including DWP to consider in future policy design. It is more cost effective to lead the market review of communication support within DWP than commission this work externally. A call for evidence to which all stakeholders may contribute will be launched shortly.

Department for Work and Pensions: Carbon Emissions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on carbon offsetting in each of the last three years; and to which companies payments in respect of carbon offsetting were made in each such year.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) has spent the following amount on Carbon Offsetting in the last three years: YearPricePaid to12/13£ 135.32South Pole Carbon Asset Management Ltd13/14£ 616.74EDF Trading Ltd14/15£1,479.55Carbon Footprint Ltd

Social Security Benefits: Mental Health

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will commission an assessment of the effect of changes to welfare benefits on the mental health of claimants.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. A link to the impact assessment is included. http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006.pdf

Working Mothers: Industrial Health and Safety

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of present Government guidance available to employers on managing the health and safety of new and expectant mothers at work.

Justin Tomlinson: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reviewed and revised its website and other published guidance on managing new and expectant mothers’ health and safety in 2012. A further minor review was carried out in 2014. HSE also contributed to advice produced by Acas in 2013 on breastfeeding at work. HSE is currently working with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to assess the findings of a major survey on pregnancy and maternity discrimination at work and any implications for the effectiveness of the Executive’s current guidance.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the statistics his Department holds on sanctions applied to claimants of (a) job seeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance where the claimant is also in receipt of carer's allowance.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Occupational Pensions

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the shortfall in pension accrual experienced by employees who are employed through an umbrella payroll company or similar overarching employment contract and do not receive automatic enrolment pension contributions from their employer.

Justin Tomlinson: This information is not available.

Occupational Pensions

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of workers employed through an umbrella payroll company who will opt-out of automatic-enrolment into a workplace pension.

Justin Tomlinson: This information is not available.

Occupational Pensions

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of automatic-enrolment pension arrangements on workers employed through employment agencies.

Justin Tomlinson: The law requires employers to enrol all eligible workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme and make at least a minimum contribution to their pension. This includes workers employed through employment agencies. The Department has made no separate assessment of the impact of automatic enrolment on these workers.

Personal Independence Payment

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made on addressing the backlog in applications for personal independence payments; and for what median end-to-end time applicants are currently waiting.

Justin Tomlinson: We have implemented a wide range of initiatives across the whole Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claim journey to speed up processes and are continuing to identify further opportunities for improvement. Figures released on 17 June reflect the significant progress made over the past year and show claims for PIP are now being cleared at four times the rate they were in January 2014. These figures can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-april-2015 The latest statistics show that as at April 2015 a new claimant was waiting on average (median) 11 weeks from the point of registration to a decision being made on their claim (end to end), compared to 41 weeks in July 2014. DLA reassessment claims were taking on average (median) 10 weeks in April 2015. Updated statistics on PIP registrations, clearances, clearance times and outstanding times (up to July 2015 data) are due to be published and can be found from 16th September at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received from the UN Special Rapporteur on disabled rights on an investigation into welfare reforms since May 2010.

Justin Tomlinson: No representations have been received from the UN Special Rapporteur.

Members: Correspondence

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 24 June 2015 from the hon. Member for Ashfield on self-employment amongst women.

Priti Patel: I replied to the hon. Member on 14 July 2015.

Social Security Benefits

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the effect of the welfare cap will be in (a) Wellingborough and (b) England.

Priti Patel: The Welfare Cap of Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) has been set for this Parliament, at the level of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Summer 2015 forecast for spending in scope of the Cap. This amounts to: £115.2bn in 2016-17; £114.6bn in 2017-18; £114.0bn in 2018-19; £113.5bn in 2019-20; and £114.9bn in 2020-21. The Welfare Cap is not assessed at a sub-national level.

Social Security Benefits

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what equality impact assessment of the recent change to the benefits cap his Department has undertaken.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. A link to the impact assessment is included.http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006.pdf

Housing Benefit

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the highest amount of annual housing benefit paid to a single household was in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson: Details of the highest amount of annual housing benefit paid to a single household in each of the last five years can be found using the link below: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Climate Change

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff were working on climate change adaptation in her Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15; and if she will estimate the likely number of such staff in each of the next five years.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff were working on climate change adaptation in her Department's agencies in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15; and if she will estimate the likely number of such staff in each of the next five years.

Rory Stewart: Adaptation is embedded as an integral part of policy across Defra and all levels of Government and within a broad range of programmes and activities that support and build the UK’s resilience to climate change.   Defra, as the lead Department, maintains a core adaptation team that supports the implementation of the Government’s responsibilities for climate change adaptation under the Climate Change Act 2008. Resources allocated to this support role vary according to our position in the five-year cycle set out under the Act and the progress we have made in embedding adaptation within Government policies, programmes and activities.   The core Defra adaptation team delivered the very first UK Climate Change Risk Assessment in 2012 and the very first National Adaptation Programme (NAP) report in 2013. The focus since then has been on delivering those actions set out in the NAP report which has reduced the need for a large core team.   The direct staff support that Defra and its agencies provided for climate change adaptation between 2010-11 and 2014-15 is set out in table A. These figures include Environment Agency staff delivering the Climate Ready Support Service between 2011-12 and 2014-15. It is not possible to predict the numbers of staff that will be required in these adaptation roles in future. It is also not possible to estimate the much larger numbers of full-time equivalent staff across all of the policies, programmes and activities of Defra and its agencies that directly or indirectly support our adaptation objectives. Table A: FTEs in Defra and its agencies working on climate change adaptationFTE2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Core Defra37.032.523.56.06.0Defra agencies48.554.255.351.440.7

Farmers: Bankruptcy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of farmers that have declared themselves bankrupt in each year since 2010.

George Eustice: The number of compulsory liquidations for each of the last five years is shown below. These data are for England and Wales, separate data are not available for England. They are for the Standard Industrial Classification code covering crop and animal production and hunting (on a commercial basis for food, fur etc.)[1]   It should be noted that these are experimental statistics i.e. new official statistics that are undergoing evaluation   YearCompany liquidations, both voluntary and compulsoryBankruptcies where the individuals were self employed2010339320114490201241702013444920143930   Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/insolvency-statistics-april-to- june-2015  [1] Excludes hunting for sport or recreational activities, and fishing

Common Agricultural Policy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what change there has been in the level of farm subsidies in each of the last five years.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been spent on farm subsidies in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: Details of all payments made under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are published annually by the UK Co-ordinating Body. The total CAP payments for the UK for each of the last five years are as follows:Figures are Euro millions 20102011201220132014Direct Payments3,4243,3093,3483,3263,234Rural Development9131,0181,0851,0911,065Total4,3374,3274,4334,4174,299

Pest Control

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the ability and efficacy of alternative pest control methods to the use of neonicotinoids.

George Eustice: Alternative pest control methods were considered by experts before emergency authorisations were issued for use of neonicotinoid pesticides to control cabbage stem flea beetle (Psylloides chrysocephala) in winter oilseed rape. The only alternative chemical control is use of pyrethroid sprays. These are generally less effective against this pest and populations of it have developed significant resistance to pyrethroids in the UK.Non-chemical methods may have a role in the long-term development of a strategy to control this pest, but are not suited to emergency control. The usefulness of adjusting the date of sowing may be limited by other factors, such as weather, and trap cropping has not been shown to be practical for large-scale use.

Bees: Neonicotinoids

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential change in the bee population of the decision to allow the use of neonicotinoid pesticides; and what assessment she has made of the effect of such a change on agricultural yields.

George Eustice: Neonicotinoid insecticides have been used for a number of years to protect a wide range of crops. Since December 2013, some of those uses have no longer been allowed. European rules on pesticides allow the limited and controlled use of restricted neonicotinoids in emergency situations to control a danger which cannot be contained by any other reasonable means.   An application to use neonicotinoids to protect an area equivalent to 5% of the national oilseed rape crop was accepted following expert advice. The UK Expert Committee on Pesticides considered all the relevant environmental and agronomic factors, including effects on bees and the value of the products in safeguarding crop yields. The Committee’s advice to Ministers can be found at www.pesticides.gov.uk/guidance/industries/pesticides/advisory-groups/acp/ECP-letters.   Ministers followed the Committee’s advice on the basis that the legal criteria for granting the authorisations were met.

Game: Animal Breeding

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what basis the members of the stakeholder group for the study on cage-based breeding of game birds were chosen.

George Eustice: Members of the stakeholder group were chosen to form a balanced group covering the breadth of interests, with representation from Defra, the industry and Non-Government Organisations.

Game: Animal Breeding

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost was under each cost heading of the study to determine whether cage-based breeding can meet the needs of game birds.

George Eustice: The total cost of the project was £425,642 which was broken down as follows: pay £189,762; consumables £9,800; equipment £7,000; travel £0; overheads £178,377; subcontracts/ consultancy £7,410; other £33,293.

Game: Animal Breeding

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultation was held with (a) animal welfare organisations, (b) farming organisations, (c) environmental groups and (d) shooting organisations as part of her Department's study into cage-based breeding of game birds.

George Eustice: Animal welfare organisations, game farmers organisations and shooting organisations were all members of the steering group overseeing the research.

Game: Animal Breeding

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason her Department's study into cage-based breeding of game birds does not include a control group of birds living in a natural environment.

George Eustice: The purpose of the project was to inform policy and the wording of the statutory code of practice for the welfare of gamebirds reared for sporting purposes on the effects of any change in practice from rearing in pens to cages. A comparison with birds living in a natural environment would not have informed this question.

Departmental Coordination: Animal Welfare

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the current priorities are for the Inter-Ministerial Group on International Animal Welfare; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Inter-Ministerial Group will meet this winter and is expected to continue its focus, of using UK expertise to improve international animal welfare standards and combatting the illegal wildlife trade.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 27 July 2015 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms J Walters.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State answered the Rt. Hon. Member’s letter on 27 August. A duplicate copy of the letter will be issued shortly.

Government Departments: Mergers

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the merging of those departments.

George Eustice: There are no plans to have such discussions at the present time.

Home Office

Afghanistan: Opium

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much the UK spent on tackling opium production in Afghanistan in each year since 2005; and what the cultivation area of opium in that country was in each such year.

Mike Penning: Estimates of opium cultivation in each of the last 10 years in Afghanistan are based on the Opium Survey carried out on a yearly basis by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The table below outlines the findings of the survey since 2005.YearArea of country under cultivation (in hectares)2005104,0002006165,0002007193,0002008157,0002009123,0002010123,0002011131,0002012154,0002013209,0002014224,0002015Published in Autumn 2015The Government works with the Afghan authorities and international partners to target action against opium trafficking networks, rather than provide funding for programmes specifically focussed on opium production. Figures specifically relating to funding to tackle opium production are therefore not available.

Detection Rates

James Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the crime detection rate was (a) nationally, (b) in London and (c) in Kingston and Surbiton constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike Penning: There was a significant change in the methodology used to record detections to the new outcomes framework introduced in April 2013. The new outcomes framework includes a broader range of “outcomes” for crimes dealt with by the police. This provides greater transparency on how crimes are resolved when compared with the former detections framework which only covered a subset of the new outcomes and, therefore, of the ways crimes are "resolved".Information on the new outcomes framework and data for England and Wales were published by the Home Office in its “Crime Outcomes in England and Wales 2014/15” bulletin, alongside the number of outcomes in each police force area. www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-2014-to-2015Figures for year ending March 2015 for England and Wales and the Metropolitan Police are shown in the table provided for all outcomes under the new framework. These show how crimes recorded in 2014/15 were dealt with. It is not possible to provide data for Kingston and Surbiton constituency as outcomes data are collected at police force area level.Care needs to be taken when making comparisons of crime outcomes between police forces as different police forces use outcomes in different ways and will have a different mix of crimes to deal with. In addition, the figures for the Metropolitan Police are only available between December 2014 and March 2015, so a greater proportion of crimes from this more recent period will remain under investigation.



Table - PQ 8822
(Excel SpreadSheet, 24.5 KB)

Extortion: Children

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of legislation against online blackmail of children.

Karen Bradley: Blackmail, whether on or offline, is a serious offence which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment. Investigation of these offences is an operational matter for the police.The CEOP command of the NCA engage nationally and internationally with partners to raise awareness of the threat of child sexual exploitation and abuse, educate children and young people to prevent them from becoming victims and deter offenders. Specifically through its thinkuknow.co.uk website the NCA works with children, schools, other practitioners and families to help protect children and young people from sexual abuse and exploitation.

Disability: Crime

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of steps taken to counteract disability hate crime.

Karen Bradley: The Government takes all forms of hate crime very seriously. Crime that is motivated by hostility or hatred towards the victim is particularly corrosive and can have devastating consequences for victims and their families. In 2012, we published a hate crime action plan and a total of 13 actions were dedicated to the prevention of disability hate crime, including the creation of a new cross government Disability Strategy, the publication of the Crown Prosecution Service Action Plan on disability hate crime and publishing examples of good practice by disabled persons’ user-led organisations. The progress report on the action plan, published in 2014, showed that we had either completed or made good progress on all actions.

Police: Emergency Calls

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average police response time is in (a) West Yorkshire and (b) the UK.

Mike Penning: The Government does not collect statistics on average police response times for West Yorkshire or the UK.This Government’s reforms have freed forces from top-down central control and placed more power into the hands of local people. Police and Crime Commissioners set local priorities and it is for local forces to ensure that they are responding promptly to emergency calls.

Fraud: Nigeria

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to protect UK citizens from telephone scams from Nigeria.

Mike Penning: The Government takes all types of fraud, including those operating through telephones, extremely seriously. We are working closely with the City of London Police (CoLP), the national lead force for fraud, to support local forces and partners deliver effective protective advice to the public on fraud, including phone scams. CoLP operates Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, and works to ensure that the public has the information they need to protect themselves from telephone fraud. When a serious threat or a new type of fraud is identified, Action Fraud places an alert on its website with advice for individuals to protect themselves from becoming victims. Members of the public can sign up to receive these alerts by email.We are also working closely with Financial Fraud Action UK and the British Bankers’ Association who have issued advice to consumers on how to protect themselves from phone scammers.Ofcom, the communications regulator in the UK, has worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Service, Action Fraud and landline providers to prevent criminals exploiting phone lines to trick and defraud members of the public. All landline providers have now reduced the time a call remains open after one party hangs up down to two seconds. This makes it much more difficult for criminals to exploit phone lines in this way.The Government also work closely with the Nigerian authorities to tackle serious and organised crime threats.

Burglary: Criminal Investigation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of pilot schemes undertaken by regional police forces to limit the resources available for the investigation of burglaries.

Mike Penning: We have not undertaken any assessment of how individual police forces respond to reported burglaries. This Government are clear that all crimes reported to the police should be taken seriously, investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. Decisions on individual investigations are an operational matter for chief constables, based on the evidence available to them.

Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding her Department has allocated to each type of domestic and sexual violence support services in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: In 2010, we ring-fenced nearly £40 million of stable funding up to 2015 to provide services for victims of violence against women and girls. The Home Office contribution amounted to £28 million over the period.This funding provided for Independent Domestic Violence Advisers, Independent Sexual Violence Advisers, Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) coordinators, Young People’s Advocates and financial support to free phone national help lines.The Government has committed to continuing that funding to April 2016, and has provided additional funding for both types of support services including £10 million for refuges, £3 million for domestic violence services including refuge provision and £7 million for victims of sexual violence and child sexual abuse.

Scotland Office

Scotland Bill

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department has spent on literature relating to the Scotland Bill.

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department has spent on promotional materials for the Scotland Bill.

David Mundell: The UK Government has undertaken a range of engagements to ensure that people across Scotland have the opportunity to give their views on the significant new powers being delivered to Scotland via the Scotland Bill. The production of the literature and promotional material to accompany this work has been led in-house by the Scotland Office, alongside communications relating to the rest of the Department’s work. As a result, specific costs of £450 (excluding VAT) have been limited to the external printing of information booklets to support public engagements.

HM Treasury

Children: Day Care

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish his Department's research on the effect of his policies on tax-free childcare on the labour market.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of any potential link between the introduction of tax-free childcare and the (a) cost and (b) demand for childcare by providers.

Damian Hinds: Updated Information on the impacts of Tax-Free Childcare on the labour and childcare markets will be published in due course.

Debts

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of levels of household debt in households where at least one adult is in work.

Harriett Baldwin: The Office for National Statistics does not publish estimates of household debt by employment status.

Social Security Benefits

Cat Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will conduct an assessment of the potential effect of proposed changes to tax credits and housing benefit in the Summer Budget 2015 on the number of abortions in the UK.

Damian Hinds: No assessment has been made of the potential effect of proposed changes to tax credits and housing benefit in the Summer Budget 2015 on the number of abortions in the UK.

Treasury: Communication

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2015 to Question 2813, whether the Civil Service Recruitment Principles were followed in the appointment of his Department's Director of Communications.

Harriett Baldwin: The Treasury Communications team is managed by the Chancellor’s spokesperson who is a civil servant and was therefore recruited in line with principles of Civil Service Recruitment. The Chancellor has appointed a special adviser to be his Director of Communications, who does not manage any civil servants. Special Adviser appointments are made in line with the Ministerial Code and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

Treasury: Pay

Paul Flynn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Minister in his Department authorised the pay rises for his Department's senior executives in 2014-15.

Harriett Baldwin: The independent Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB), which reports to Cabinet Office Ministers, recommends the pay framework for the Senior Civil Servants within government and the Prime Minister responds via ministerial statement the government’s response. HM Treasury applied pay increases in line with agreed framework within the resources available for the Senior Civil Servants. These increases were signed off by the HMT Executive management Board.

Part-time Employment

Paul Flynn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to paragraph 2.11 of the Spending Review 2015 (Cm 9112), how many of the two million jobs referred to in that paragraph are part-time.

Harriett Baldwin: Over the last Parliament the number of people in employment increased by almost 2 million, meaning on average an extra 1,000 people in work every single day. The number working full-time increased by 1.5 million making up 76 per cent of the rise in employment, while the number of part-time workers rose by 482,000.

Non-domestic Rates

Marcus Fysh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on its review of  business rates; and what the projected timetable is for that review.

Mr David Gauke: The deadline for responses to the business rates review was 12 June 2015. We have been undertaking analysis and considering the wide variety of views put forward in stakeholder responses.   The Summer Budget confirmed that the review will be fiscally neutral and will conclude by the end of the year.

Climate Change Levy

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he made in advance of the Summer Budget 2015 of the effect on the UK's carbon footprint of applying the climate change levy to renewable electricity.

Damian Hinds: Removing the Climate Change Levy (CCL) renewables exemption will have no direct impact on the UK’s ability to meet its climate change and renewables targets.  This Government takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and is committed to meeting its climate change commitments as cost effectively as possible. We are currently making good progress on this, with emissions down 30% since 1990.  One third of the value of the CCL renewables exemption was going to support renewable generation projects based overseas. These projects do not contribute to our climate change commitments and so provided poor value for money for UK taxpayers.

Revenue and Customs: Training

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much under each cost heading has been spent setting up Preston Learning Academy to date; how many people have received training at that Academy; and in which HM Revenue and Customs departments such people were working at the time of training.

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was spent setting up the Preston Learning Academy by cost type to 23 July 2015; how many people have received training at that academy; and in which departments in HM Revenue and Customs those people were working at the time of that training.

Mr David Gauke: The total cost of setting up the Preston Learning Academy was £70,922.83. This is broken down as follows:   As at 23 July 2015, 2604 people had received training at the Preston Learning Academy since it was launched on 20 May 2015.   As at 31 August 2015, 3685 people have received training at the Preston Learning Academy since it was launched on 20 May 2015.   HM Revenue and Customs do not hold the requested information relating to the Department each individual who has received training works within.

Science: Research

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on continuing the existing ring-fence for investment in scientific research beyond 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: This Government has made a long term commitment to science capital funding which has risen to £1.1 billion in 2015-16 and will increase in line with inflation out to 2020-21.   Future allocations for science resource funding will be determined at the forthcoming Spending Review.

Royal Bank of Scotland and Royal Mail

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the recent effect on the public purse of the sale of public assets in the (a) Royal Bank of Scotland and (b) Royal Mail; and what steps he is taking to ensure the further sale of public assets does not result in a loss to the public purse.

Harriett Baldwin: On 4 August 2015, the government sold approximately 5.4% of its shareholdings in the Royal Bank of Scotland raising £2.1 billion in proceeds. The proceeds raised from the sale will be used to pay down the government’s national debt.   The recent sale of Royal mail shares on 11 June 2015 raised proceeds of £750 million which will also be used to pay down the government’s national debt

Greece: EU Grants and Loans

Mr David Nuttall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the UK (a) was consulted on and (b) took part in the decision by the European Commission to make €35 billion of funds available to Greece.

Mr David Gauke: Greece is pre-allocated EU budget receipts, totalling €35 billion over the current seven-year budget. All Member States receive such allocations. The Commission have not proposed to increase allocations to Greece – merely to alter the timing of these payments.   The Commission’s proposal is currently being negotiated in Council. As with all Commission proposals relating to EU expenditure, the Government will push for maximum restraint and maximum value for money to ensure UK taxpayers’ interests are protected.

Financial Services

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what controls, protections and safeguards are in place for investors in unregulated funds operating in the UK financial services sector.

Harriett Baldwin: Unregulated collective investment schemes are, by their very nature, not subject to direct regulation by the FCA (and previously, the FSA).   However, for this reason, the promotion of unregulated collective investment schemes is subject to strict controls. These schemes may not be promoted to the general public but only to customers who meet specified criteria. Retail investors – the investors of ordinary means and experience who make up the vast majority of the retail market in the UK – should not receive promotions for unregulated collective investment schemes.

Bank Services: Fraud

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to address telephone scamming related to banking services.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government takes all types of fraud, including those operating through telephones, extremely seriously. The Government is continuing to work closely with the police, Financial Fraud Action UK, and the British Bankers’ Association on initiatives to tackle fraud. Last year, during the ‘Know Fraud, No Fraud’ campaign, UK banks, building societies and card issuers, with the support of the police, published a Joint Declaration explaining the requests they would never ask of customers over the phone. This includes never asking a customer to authorise the transfer of funds to a new account.   The Government also recommends that any person affected by telephone scams such as vishing, formally report their case to Action Fraud. Action Fraud is a Government supported specialist fraud reporting and advice service operated by the City of London Police. When a serious threat or a new type of fraud is identified, Action Fraud places an alert on its website with advice for individuals to protect themselves from becoming victims. Members of the public can sign up to receive these alerts by email. Ofcom, the communications regulator in the UK, has worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Service, Action Fraud and landline providers to prevent criminals exploiting phone lines to trick and defraud members of the public. All landline providers have now reduced the time a call remains open after one party hangs up down to two seconds. This makes it much more difficult for criminals to exploit phone lines in this way.

Government Departments: Research

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department and the Government Chief Scientific Adviser had with Departments in advance of decisions to cut departmental research budgets or expenditure since May 2010; and on what dates each such discussion took place with each such department.

Greg Hands: Treasury Ministers and officials have regular meetings with departments in which a wide range of issues are discussed as part of the process of policy development. However we do not disclose details of confidential discussions between Ministers or advice received from civil servants.

Inheritance Tax: Eligibility

Andrew Bingham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend eligibility for the main residence nil rate band of inheritance tax to non-direct descendants.

Mr David Gauke: The Government has sought to strike the appropriate balance and ensure that this policy allows the family home to be passed onto the next generation but is also affordable. Around 80% of estates with both a residence and an inheritance tax liability are expected to be in a position to benefit from the nil rate band.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Patrick Grady: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, under what circumstances spending from the UK Conflict, Stability and Security Fund will be counted towards the Government targets of spending (a) 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) on overseas development assistance, (b) 2 per cent of GNI on defence and (c) towards both of these targets.

Greg Hands: Where applicable, the UK’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) spending will be counted towards the government’s commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) or 2% of GDP on Defence spending. This is completed in accordance with NATO and Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development guidelines. Some CSSF spending may count to both the ODA and Defence spending commitments, where it is consistent with the classification guidelines.

Pensions: Taxation

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what process his Department set the age limit for passing on a pension tax free.

Mr David Gauke: The age 75 is a feature of the existing pensions tax system. It is the age at which individuals stop receiving tax relief on pension contributions and by which most people will have brought their pension into payment.

Social Enterprises: Investment

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what definition of social investment is used by his Department.

Greg Hands: Social investment is the provision of finance to generate social and financial returns.

Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on the use of technology in (a) making savings to the public purse and (b) improving public services.

Greg Hands: Treasury Ministers and officials have regular meetings with departments in which a wide range of issues are discussed as part of the process of policy development. However we do not disclose details of confidential discussions between Ministers or advice received from civil servants.

Budgets

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to publish an analysis of the distributional impact of changes alongside each Budget Statement in this Parliament.

Mr David Gauke: Distributional analysis of the impact of government policy across the household income distribution has been published at every fiscal event since the June Budget 2010.   The analysis published alongside the Summer Budget shows that the proportion of public spending received by households in each income quintile remains similar between 2010-11 and 2017-18, indicating that reductions in public spending since the start of the last Parliament have not altered its overall distribution.

Public Expenditure: Wales

Mr Peter Bone: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of public expenditure per person in Wales.

Greg Hands: HM Treasury’s annual publication Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis includes tables containing public expenditure by country. The latest publication shows that total identifiable expenditure on public services per head in Wales was £9,924 in 2013-14.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Prices

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much each year is added to average consumer energy bills in the UK by solar power subsidies.

Andrea Leadsom: In November 2014 DECC published estimates of the impact of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills.[1] The report estimated that, in 2014, support for renewable electricity projects through the renewables obligation (RO) and feed-in tariffs (FiTs) accounted for around £44 (or around 3%) of average household energy (gas and electricity) bills (in 2014 prices). Of this, an estimated £9 was spent on solar PV.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-impacts-of-energy-and-climate-change-policies-on-energy-prices-and-bills-2014

Solar Power: Subsidies

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to her Department's press release, Controlling the cost of renewable energy, published on 22 July 2015, what assessment she has made of the potential effects of the proposed changes to solar power subsidies on the Government's ability to meet its climate change targets.

Andrea Leadsom: In order to meet the 2050 target (80% reduction on 1990 level), we know we will need significant cuts in emissions across all parts of the economy by 2050. This will not depend on any single technology, such as solar PV. We will need a balanced mix of low carbon technologies, including nuclear, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and renewables, to help tackle the threat of climate change while keeping the lights on and ensuring the best value for consumers.

Energy: Competition

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, for what reasons she is not implementing the recommendation of the Competition and Markets Authority that Ofgem should be the single provider of a switching and comparison website for energy.

Andrea Leadsom: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published the Provisional Findings from their investigation into the energy markets in July alongside a notice of possible remedies to address the issues identified; their final report setting out their final remedies is not expected until December 2015. This Government remains committed to implementing the recommendations the CMA will set out in their Final Report.

Energy: Competition

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has conducted research on one-stop-shop switching and comparison sites for energy in other advanced economies in order to inform its policies.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department routinely considers examples from other advanced economies in order to inform its policies. As part of the investigation into the energy markets, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has also identified different forms switching and comparison sites for energy can take in other advanced economies and is considering alternatives as part of their possible remedies. This Government is committed to implementing the recommendations the CMA will set out in their Final Report, expected in December 2015.

Renewable Energy: Greenwich and Woolwich

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the level of Government investment in renewable energy in Greenwich and Woolwich constituency since 2010.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC has not estimated investment in renewable energy by constituency. However, as at the end of June 2015, 596 kW of solar photovoltaic capacity had been installed in Greenwich and Woolwich under the feed-in tariff scheme (see: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/sub-regional-feed-in-tariffs-confirmed-on-the-cfr-statistics).DECC also reports on heat accreditations at local authority level (see https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rhi-deployment-data-july-2015 , tables 1.6 and 2.11), as well as publishing a breakdown of renewable electricity generation and deployment by region (at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/regional-renewable-statistics).

Energy: Competition

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to make the retail energy market more transparent and facilitate greater consumer choice.

Andrea Leadsom: We have taken steps to increase competition in domestic retail market and there are now 31 suppliers providing choice to consumers, up from 13 in 2010. The Department has also supported work to make the market more transparent. We provided legislative backing to Ofgem’s retail market reforms to make the market simpler, clearer, and fairer, and have committed to implementing the recommendation formal remedies to be set out in the Final Report of the Competition and Market Authority’s investigation into the energy market.

Wind Power: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment on the potential effect on Northern Ireland's energy security of the Government's policy on access to support for onshore wind.

Andrea Leadsom: As energy policy is devolved in Northern Ireland, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State is in discussions with Northern Ireland Ministers to agree how the onshore wind commitment can be implemented in Northern Ireland.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of its review of the feed-in-tariff scheme on (a) the solar industry and (b) the small and medium-sized British businesses in that industry.

Andrea Leadsom: The impact of the review of the Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs) on businesses in that sector will depend on the options taken forward after the review. We expect to gather more information from the industry as part of consultation on the review which runs until 23rd October.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Energy

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her Department's domestic energy bill estimates were for each Public Energy Supply region for the most recent period.

Andrea Leadsom: Regional energy bills by Public Energy Supply (PES) region are published in tables 2.2.3 and 2.3.3 of Quarterly Energy Prices. These bill estimates are based on fixed annual consumption levels of 15,000kWh for gas and 3,800kWh for electricity. The most recent data covers the 2014 calendar year.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statisticsAnnual 2014 GB average energy bills by PES Region RegionElectricity Gas Duel FuelEast Midlands£568£737£1,305Eastern£567£750£1,317London£589£781£1,370Merseyside & North Wales£634£755£1,389North East£589£737£1,326North Scotland£638£746£1,385North West£596£748£1,344South East£581£755£1,337South Scotland£578£746£1,323South Wales£622£757£1,379South West£618£745£1,363Southern£584£768£1,352West Midlands£590£755£1,344Yorkshire£582£746£1,328Great Britain£592£752£1,344

Fracking: Barnsley

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she plans to take to protect people in Barnsley from potential harmful environmental effects of fracking.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government has been clear that shale development must be safe and environmentally sound. We are already have one of the most robust regulatory regimes in the world for shale gas. We insist on high standards of health safety and environmental protection. All of this is backed up by independent checks from the regulators. We have been successfully regulating for gas and oil drilling for over 50 years and have tough regulations in place to ensure on-site safety, prevent water contamination, mitigate seismic activity and air pollution. Through the Infrastructure Act 2015, we are putting in place a range of further measures to provide the public with confidence that this industry is being taken forward in a balanced way, including measures on environmental impact assessments, groundwater monitoring and community benefits.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: UK Membership of EU

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which external organisations she has met to discuss the consequences of the UK leaving the EU in each of the last three years; and how many times she has met each such organisation.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets with a range of external organisations to discuss the Government's objectives in Europe. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Allowances

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she next plans to update transparency data for ministerial expenses in her Department on the GOV.UK website.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 11 September 2015



Transparency data for ministerial expenses up to June 2014 are published on the www.gov.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-of-energy-climate-change&publication_type=transparency-dataThese include ministerial travel, gifts and hospitality.The data related to July 2014 to March 2015 is being collated and will be published in due course.

Cabinet Office

Kids Company

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) the Secretary of State for Education and (b) the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education have raised concerns about Kids Company with Ministers in his Department since May 2010.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions Ministers in his Department had with (a) the Prime Minister and (b) the Prime Minister's Special Advisers before deciding to overrule his Department's Permanent Secretary's advice not to proceed with funding for Kids Company.

Mr Rob Wilson: To enable a space for the free and frank exchange of views, it is a long-standing convention that specific details about conversations between Ministers are not normally disclosed. The decision to give Kids Company the additional £3m in July was made by Oliver Letwin and Matthew Hancock.

Kids Company: Finance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what payments were made by the Government to Kids Company in each year since 2010; and what conditions were attached to such payments.

Mr Rob Wilson: Central government has provided approximately £43m to Kids Company since 2005.Since 2010 the government has provided:YearAmount2010-2011£4.6m2011-2012£4.8m2012-2013£4.8m2013 - 2014£4.5m2014 - 2015£4.5m2015 – 2016 - April£4.265m2015 – 2016 - July£3mCabinet Office is unable to comment on conditions attached to payments managed by Department for Education prior to the transfer of Youth Policy in 2013. We are also unable to comment on payments made by the previous Labour government. For funding from 2013 – March 2015, Kids Company was required to meet a clear set of delivery targets. An independent third party was appointed by Cabinet Office and Department for Education to independently monitor and evaluate the grant and outcomes Kids Company were reporting. Since March 2015, funding agreements included conditions intended to encourage Kids Company to move to a more financially sustainable model.

Ministers: Allowances

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the transparency data for Ministerial expenses for his Department will be updated on the gov.uk website to show Ministerial expenses after 30 September 2013.

Matthew Hancock: Ministerial transparency information is available on gov.uk up to June 2014, which can be accessed at the below link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications Further data will be published in due course.

Cabinet Office: Correspondence

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the reasons were for the redaction of material in Baroness Browning's letter of January 2015 to Alex Salmond on business appointments; and if he will publish the letter in full with the redacted material included.

Matthew Hancock: I have consulted the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments in answering this question. The Committee has confirmed that, in accordance with established procedures, information about roles individuals intend to take up is published either when an appointment is announced or when that role is taken up; and that this is the reason for the redaction of the information in the letter referred to.

Royal Archives

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on allowing full public access to the Royal Archives.

John Penrose: The Royal Archives are private archives which offer public access to historical papers for educational purposes and academic study, including via an online digitisation and public access programme, while protecting the personal private papers of The Queen and Members of the Royal Family. Access to the Archives is the responsibility of the Keeper of the Royal Archives.

Members

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of annual savings to the public purse of reducing the number of hon. Members from 650 to 600.

John Penrose: The most recent estimate, in June 2012, indicated that if the number of MPs were reduced from 650 to 600, the saving would be £13.6 million a year.

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Blaydon to his Department of 30 March 2015 regarding arranging a meeting between a Minister and representatives of the Shrewsbury 24 campaign.

Mr Oliver Letwin: I will respond to the hon. Member for Blaydon’s letter by Monday 14 September.

Trade Union Officials: Facilities Agreements

Chris Stephens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consultation the Government has undertaken with (a) devolved administrations, (b) local authorities and (c) other public bodies on proposals to alter the right of employees to facility time for trade union duties.

Matthew Hancock: We are not currently proposing to alter the rights of employees to facility time. The Trade Union Bill introduces transparency requirements to ensure that public sector employers publish how much taxpayer-funded facility time costs. But if this information reveals inefficiency or poor value for money for the taxpayer then we may bring forward proposals to set a cap on the time and money spent on facility time by public sector employers.

Trade Unions: Subscriptions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment the Government has made of the potential cost to (a) devolved administrations, (b) local authorities and (c) other public bodies of trade union dues no longer being deducted from salaries by those employers.

Matthew Hancock: It is no longer appropriate for public sector employers to carry the administrative burden of providing a check off facility for those trade unions that have not yet modernised their subscription arrangements. Employers are under no obligation to offer this service. There would therefore be no cost associated with an employer not providing this service, but rather a likely saving from simpler administration.

Trade Unions: Subscriptions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consultation the Government has undertaken with (a) devolved administrations, (b) local authorities and (c) other public bodies on proposals to alter the arrangements for deduction of employee trade union dues from salaries by those employers.

Matthew Hancock: The Government has announced its intention to prohibit check off in the public sector. This policy has developed in the normal way. This will be by an amendment to the Trade Union Bill.

Electoral Register

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the change in the number of electors on the electoral register in each (a) constituency and (b) local authority when the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (Transitional Powers) Order 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 1520), dated 15 July 2015, are brought into force; and which 10 local authorities will see the biggest fall in the number of electors and what those losses will be.

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the change in the number of electors in each constituency and as a result of the provisions of the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (Transitional Provisions) Order 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 1520).

John Penrose: Individual electoral registration is essential to tackle electoral fraud and ensure a clean democratic process. 96% of electors in Great Britain have already transferred to the new IER registers. The latest figures on electors yet to be registered, broken down to local authority level, are available here:http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0007/190465/IER-May-2015-electoral-registers-data.xlsx  These figures do not take into account the current annual canvass, which will help encourage the remaining eligible retained electors to register individually ahead of December. As the Electoral Commission has said, many of these retained entries are likely to be redundant, for example because of electors moving home. Figures at a Parliamentary constituency level are not available.

Government Departments: Ministers' Private Offices

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in what Departments extended ministerial offices are being planned.

Matthew Hancock: Extended Ministerial Offices are currently being established in the Cabinet Office, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Education and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Interpreters: Hearing Impaired

Ian Lavery: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons no consultation has taken place with members of the deaf community, service users and British Sign Language interpreters and service providers on the National Framework Agreement for interpreting and translation.

Matthew Hancock: There has been extensive stakeholder engagement for a new Language Services Framework Agreement (RM1092) over the past year, following which the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has amended the specification of requirements to address the points that have been raised by stakeholders, including organisations representing deaf people, users, interpreters, suppliers and industry standards organisations. CCS has also included the National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters (NUBSLI), and the National Union of Professional Interpreters and Translators (NUPIT) as part of the consultation process over this period.

Charities: Fund Raising

David Mackintosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to tackle illicit fundraising activities by charities.

Mr Rob Wilson: We have amended the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Bill, currently in Parliament, to require trustees of charities with an income of over £1m to take more responsibility for their fundraising and be more transparent and accountable about it in their annual reports. This includes where fundraising is undertaken by professional fundraisers on the charity’s behalf. It will require large charities to explain how they protect people, and in particular vulnerable individuals, from undue pressure to donate.I asked Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Associations, to chair a small cross-party panel to make recommendations to government, the charity sector and fundraisers on the changes needed to make self-regulation of fundraising work properly. I understand that the review is making good progress and that Sir Stuart will report shortly.

Social Enterprises: Investment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what definition of social investment is used by his Department.

Mr Rob Wilson: Social investment is the provision of finance to generate social and financial returns.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will devise and disclose a distinct UK drones and targeted killing policy as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The 2015 National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review, informed by the National Security Risk Assessment, are considering a wide range of risks and threats including terrorism, and responses. We cannot speculate on the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Athletics: Training

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of athletics coaches coaching in England in each of the last five years.

Tracey Crouch: According to the latest available figures provided by England Athletics, the number of athletics coaches coaching in England currently is 51,031.

Facebook

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on how many Facebook profile pages based in the UK were closed down in 2014 following reports of online abuse and blackmail.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not hold any information on the number of Facebook pages based in the UK closed down in 2014 following reports of online abuse and blackmail. We are working with social media companies to improve online safety and ensure they put appropriate measures in place to protect their users.

Golf

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to take steps to utilise the success of the 2015 UK Open Golf tournament to increase participation in that sport.

Tracey Crouch: I am committed to ensuring that sport has the opportunity to thrive in this country. Golf is a sport for a wide range of people and it is important that it is promoted to as broad an audience as possible. The current Active People Survey results show that 727,700 people aged 16+ are playing golf each week. Major sporting events, like the Open, are a fantastic opportunity to get more people playing sport. The England Golf Partnership is working with partners including England Golf and Sport England to increase the numbers of people playing golf. In July 2014 England Golf launched its new strategic plan, ‘Raising our Game’, which focuses on getting more people involved. The England Golf Partnership has also joined up with Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign and recently launched its own ‘This Girl Can Golf’ initiative to get more women playing golf

Broadband: West Yorkshire

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to support the provision of superfast broadband in rural communities in West Yorkshire where schemes for such provision are not planned.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The West Yorkshire broadband project has benefited from £16,264,980 of public funding to provide superfast broadband coverage to 85,767 additional premises in the project area. To date the project has delivered 55,369 of these additional superfast premises. The Government has provided a postcode checker at http://gosuperfastchecker.culture.gov.uk/ for people to find out if they can currently get a superfast broadband service. More information about the local project can be found on the local authority website http://www.superfastwestyorkshire.co.uk/ and details of the planned coverage by the project can be found on the local coverage map at http://www.superfastwestyorkshire.co.uk/coverage

Mobile Phones

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential for disruption to television services caused by the introduction of 4G mobile services to areas not previously under mobile coverage.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The licences that Ofcom issued for the roll-out of 4G mobile broadband services in the 800 MHz band required the licencees - EE, O2, Three and Vodafone - to establish a joint company to deliver assistance to all consumers affected by interference caused by 4G who rely on Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) for their primary viewing service. This company is at800. at800 is overseen by the 4G/TV Co-Existence Oversight Board. The Board reports to Government and Ofcom. Membership of the Board includes representatives of the broadcasting industry and Mobile Network Operators, as well as independent consumers and technical experts. Ofcom estimated that 2.3 million households, of which 900,000 rely on DTT for primary viewing, could potentially experience interference. The incidences of interference are much lower than expected; at the end of July 2015, at800 confirmed 7,947 cases of4G interference, excluding the 35 cases found within the pilots.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects part two of the Leveson Inquiry, examining allegations of police corruption and the relationships between newspaper organisations and the police, prosecuting authorities and relevant regulatory bodies to take place; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: A decision on whether to undertake Part II of the Leveson Inquiry will not take place until after all criminal investigations and trials related to Part I are concluded. They are still ongoing.

House of Commons Commission

Electronic Voting

Mark Tami: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to his oral statement of 2 July 2015, on English Votes on English Laws, Official Report, column 1646, what tender process was undertaken when deciding which electronic devices would be used by hon. Members for English and Welsh constituencies when casting their votes on pieces of legislation certified as being England or Wales only.

Tom Brake: The House Service has been investigating means of electronic recording of divisions since October 2014. A trial was held in the House in March 2015 in which seven divisions were recorded in part by division clerks on two tablet devices. Those two devices had been purchased in February 2015 and a further four devices were purchased in May, in preparation for the next phase of the project. The devices chosen, for the use of House officials administering divisions, rather than hon. Members, had recently been added to the equipment catalogue for Members, so met Parliament’s requirements in terms of security, screen size and technical compatibility. They were purchased from a supplier on the Sprint procurement framework.Full implementation of tablet recording of divisions is expected to take place later in the current Session. This change had been planned before the announcement of the Government’s proposals for English votes for English laws, although the use of tablets would make it easier and quicker to provide the results of divisions taken under the proposed ‘double-majority’ system.

House of Commons: Working Hours

Patrick Grady: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what (a) overtime and (b) flexible working arrangements are in place for clerking, catering, security, Hansard and other ancillary or support staff and officers of the House during late sittings of the House.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Commission has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health

Hepatitis: Ethnic Groups

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in the South Asian community who are infected with genotype 3 hepatitis C.

Jane Ellison: In a Public Health England authored paper to estimate hepatitis C antibody prevalence, among South Asians overall, prevalence was 0.76% (95% Credible intervals 0.48–1.23)1. In specific South Asian populations, prevalence was 1.91% (95% Credible interval 1.24–3.10) among Pakistanis, 0.27% (95% Credible interval 0.06–0.78) among Indians, and 0.32% (95% Credible interval 0.09–0.86) among Bangladeshis1. Data from sentinel surveillance of hepatitis testing between 2002 and 2007 showed that the majority of South Asians with hepatitis C infected were found to be genotype 3a and this is unlikely to have changed2. 1Ross J. Harris et al., Hepatitis C prevalence in England remains low and varies by ethnicity: an updated evidence synthesis European Journal of Public Health, Vol. 22, No. 2, 187–192 2Lisa J. Brant et al Planning for the healthcare burden of hepatitis C infection: Hepatitis C genotypes identified in England, 2002–2007 the Sentinel Surveillance of Hepatitis Testing Group. Volume 48 June 2010, pages 115–119

Drinks: Sugar

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will encourage makers of drinks high in sugar to consider (a) product reformulation, (b) smaller pack sizes and (c) increased promotion of low and no calorie drinks.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the British Medical Association Report, Food for Thought, published in July 2015.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will consider the proposal by the British Medical Association to implement a 20 per cent tax on drinks high in sugar.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to encourage people to include fruit and vegetables in their diets using (a) subsidisation and (b) other new methods.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the Carbohydrates and Health Report 2015, produced by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition.

Jane Ellison: Measures by industry to reduce calories and sugar are important components in any approach to reduce obesity. Some supermarkets and manufacturers have already taken a range of actions to reduce sugar in their soft drinks, but the challenge to industry to go further remains.   The Government recommends that everyone should eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables per day. The five a day message is communicated through public health messaging and advice, for example through the Change4Life campaign and NHS Choices messaging on healthy eating.   The British Medical Association’s recent report is an important contribution to the debate around obesity and food, as are the recommendations set out in the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s report, Carbohydrates and Health, published on 17 July and which the Government accepted. This, together with evidence from Public Health England on sugar reduction is informing our approach to diet including sugar reduction. We will put forward our plans for action in this area in our childhood obesity strategy before the end of the year.

Dementia: Health Services

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average length of stay in hospital for people with dementia in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: The Health and Social Care Information Centre has provided the average length of stay[1] (LOS) in days, with a primary diagnosis[2] of dementia for 2011-12 to 2013-14.   Note that this is not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one admission episode within the same time period.MeanMedian2011-1245.1202012-1349.9212013-1443.019 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre   [1] The difference in days between the admission date and the episode end date (duration of episode) or discharge date (duration of spell), where both dates are given. LOS is based on hospital stays and only applies to ordinary admissions not day cases (unless otherwise stated). Information relating to LOS, including discharge method/destination, diagnoses and any operative procedures, is based only on the final episode of the spell.[2] The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set

Hospital Beds: Dementia

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of hospital beds in England which are occupied by people with dementia.

Jane Ellison: An estimated 25% of hospital beds are occupied by people with dementia.[1] [1] Prime Ministers Challenge 2020

Dementia: Health Services

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what targets his Department has set for reducing unnecessary hospital admissions for people with dementia.

Jane Ellison: There is greater awareness now about the importance of support after diagnosis of dementia, both for improving the individual’s quality of life and for the potential to reduce more costly crisis care, for example by avoiding unplanned or emergency admissions to hospitals.   On 21 February 2015 The Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020 was published, building on the achievements of the Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia 2012-2015. The Government is clear that dementia remains a priority and will implement the 2020 Challenge in full to make sure that dementia care, support, awareness and research are transformed by 2020.   By 2020 we would wish to see the following improvements to care and support to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions for people with dementia:   - General practitioners (GPs) playing a leading role in ensuring coordination and continuity of care for people with dementia, as part of the existing commitment that from 1 April 2015 everyone will have access to a named GP with overall responsibility and oversight for their care. - Every person diagnosed with dementia having meaningful care following their diagnosis, which supports them and those around them, with meaningful care being in accordance with published National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Quality Standards. - Receiving information on what post-diagnosis services are available locally and how these can be accessed, through for example an annual ‘information prescription’. - Access to relevant advice and support to help and advise on what happens after a diagnosis and the support available through the journey.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) primary, (b) inpatient, (c) hospital day and (d) outpatient care costs are to the NHS of treating respiratory diseases.

Jane Ellison: NHS expenditure on problems of the respiratory system was £4.69 billion in 2012/13 (aggregate Primary Care Trust (PCT) Programme Budgeting estimates). This figure includes expenditure in the following settings:   Primary Care Prescribing£1.44 billionInpatients [1]  £2.09 billionOutpatients£0.27 billion [1] Elective and non-elective in patients. Day cases are included within this figure but cannot be separately identified.   An equivalent figure for 2013/14 is not available. Clinical commissioning group expenditure has been published but this does not cover the same range of services as the PCT expenditure.   Expenditure on primary care appointments is not included in the total expenditure on problems of the respiratory system because this data is not held centrally.   Expenditure in areas such as outpatients and community care are likely to be underestimates because complete data is not held centrally.   Notes:   Expenditure data included are taken from the 2012/13 programme budgeting returns. Programme budgeting returns are based on a subset of PCT accounts data and represent a subset of overall NHS expenditure data.   Calculating programme budgeting data is complex and not all healthcare activity or services can be classified directly to a programme budgeting category or care setting. When it is not possible to reasonably estimate a programme budgeting category, expenditure is classified as ‘Other’. Expenditure on General Medical Services and Personal Medical Services cannot be reasonably estimated at disease specific level, and is separately identified as a subcategory of ‘Other’ expenditure.   The allocation of expenditure to programme budgeting subcategories is not always straightforward, and subcategory level data should therefore be used with caution.   Estimates of expenditure are calculated using price paid for specific activities and services purchased from healthcare providers. PCTs follow standard guidance, procedures and mappings when calculating programme budgeting data.   The analysis of programme budgeting data by care setting was introduced for the first time in 2010/11. For this reason, programme budgeting data within individual care settings should be interpreted with caution.   Due to differences in the level of information available to PCTs on accident and emergency (A&E) attendances a national split has been applied to PCT total A&E expenditure to apportion it across programme budgeting categories.

Health Education: Walt Disney Company

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment Change4Life and Public Health England made of the effect on public perception of the Change4Life programme of entering into a partnership with Disney when selecting Disney for that partnership.

Jane Ellison: 10 Minute Shake Up from Change4Life with Disney aims to inspire children to get more active by doing as many additional 10 minute bursts of activity as they can every day.   In 2015, 385,000 families took part in the Change4Life 10 Minute Shake Up with Disney, a 28% increase on last year and 700,000 children across England registered for a free pack.   In 2014, pre campaign qualitative research with parents showed that Disney brought fun and engagement to the campaign and enhancing Change4Life’s health goal.   Tracking research with TNS BRMB showed that the majority of parents (77%) thought it positive that Disney are involved with Change4Life, especially those who signed up for the campaign (85%).

Department of Health: Action on Smoking and Health

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) letters and (b) emails his Department has received from Action on Smoking and Health in each of the last seven years.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Medical Equipment

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will request that NHS England clarify the mechanisms available for manufacturers of medical technologies to appeal against a negative specialised service commissioning policy decision.

George Freeman: There is no formal appeals process. All stakeholders - including manufacturers, patients and patient groups - are invited to submit their views on proposed commissioning polices via a process of public consultation, the outcome of which is considered by the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group when it meets to form recommendations to NHS England on whether a proposed policy should be commissioned.   Decisions that are made can be reconsidered at a later date when new evidence is presented.

Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will request that NHS England publish the criteria for approving a specialised service commissioning policy.

George Freeman: The criteria used for approving specialised service commissioning policy, entitled NHS England’s response to a public consultation "Investing in specialised services" can be found on the NHS England website:   http://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/06/nhse-respns-publictn-17-06-15.pdf

Muscular Dystrophy: Drugs

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with charities representing people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy on the availability of the drug Translarna; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: I met with Muscular Dystrophy UK and the parents of sons with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, alongside the hon. Member for Winchester on 8 September 2015.   I met again with the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign (MDC) alongside the hon. Member for Leeds North West (Greg Mulholland) on 26 March 2015.  The former Minister of State (Norman Lamb) met with the hon. Member for Blaydon (David Anderson) and a representative of the MDC group on 2 March 2015 where the issue of funding for Translarna was raised.

Department of Health: Research and Science

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the total amount made available to ring-fenced science and research funding organisations in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The Department’s revenue budget for research and development funds the National Institute for Health Research and the Department’s Policy Research Programme. Allocations for future years will be subject to the spending review.

Miracle Mineral Solution

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what actions his Department is taking to monitor the consumption and distribution of Miracle Mineral Solution.

Jane Ellison: The Department is responsible for policy on this issue; however, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) oversees the co-ordination of local authority enforcement action.   Following recent reports of seminars promoting the use of Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), the FSA has reinforced awareness amongst local authorities of the dangers of consuming these products and issued a reminder to them that such products are not fit for sale. The FSA has requested all local authorities to report any instances they discover of the promotion or sale of MMS and will continue to gather and develop intelligence with the support of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and engagement with European Union member states.   The FSA also plans to provide further advice to local authorities on the most appropriate legislation for action to be taken on MMS, and will provide support for any enforcement action that is taken.

Health Education: Walt Disney Company

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to regulate Disney's use of logos, branding and product placement during its involvement in the Change4Life partnership.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) is working in partnership with Disney on the Change4Life 10 Minute Shake Up campaign. In 2014 the campaign generated over 100 million extra minutes of activity for children over the summer.   All Change4Life partners are required to adhere to the Change4Life partner guidelines, which are published at:   http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/supporter-resources/downloads/C4L_Partner_Guidelines_19032010.pdf   For 10 Minute Shake Up from Change4Life with Disney, all creative work was developed with PHE’s partner agencies and adhered to Change4Life partner guidelines.

Dementia: Diagnosis

Dr James Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the latest diagnosis rate for dementia is in (a) England and (b) Wales; and if he will reintroduce the publication of a monthly update of such rates in England.

Jane Ellison: The monthly diagnosis rate, calculated on the basis of a monthly snapshot, for England was 61.6% at the end of March 2015. This is the latest monthly figure calculated by NHS England.   Healthcare in Wales, including the dementia diagnosis rate, lies under the responsibility of the Welsh Government.   The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is expected to resume data collection in September 2015 and NHS England plan to release letters to clinical commissioning groups over their individual rates in September 2015.

Prosthetics

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will request that NHS England publish a timeline for the re-publication of a commissioning policy on (a) microprocessor knees, (b) multi-articulating prosthetic hands and (c) custom made silicon covers.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that it has commissioned an independent evidence review in relation to microprocessor knees, multi-articulating prosthetic hands and custom made silicon covers which is expected to be complete by September 2015. A more detailed understanding of next steps including potential timelines will be possible once the evidence review has been considered by NHS England.

Health: Finance

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to hold a public consultation on its proposed reduction in the funding allocation to public health for 2015-16.

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) proposed timescale and (b) scope will be of the Government's consultation on its proposed reduction of £200 million in the funding of public health.

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the reduction in funding allocation for public health in 2015-16 on public health in (a) the London region and (b) England.

Jane Ellison: We are committed to implementing these savings in a way which will minimise any impact on services. We consulted from 31 July to 28 August on the best way of delivering the required savings and are currently considering responses. The consultation included a question on seeking more information about the effects of these savings.

Drugs: Finance

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions Clinical Commissioning Groups have not provided funding for a new drug treatment within three months of its approval in a NICE technology appraisal in each year since 2009.

George Freeman: This information is not collected centrally.   Commissioners are legally required to fund drugs and treatments approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in technology appraisal and highly specialised technology guidance within three months of final guidance being published.   Information on the uptake of new NICE-approved medicines at clinical commissioning group level and estimates of expected national uptake (when available) are being developed by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Information is published quarterly in NICE Technology Appraisals in the NHS in England, Innovation Scorecard, Experimental statistics and the most recent publication can be found at:   www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB17559

Colman Hospital: Neuromuscular Disorders

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what reports he has received on the progress of the business case being developed by West Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group for providing specialist psychological support based at the Colman Hospital for patients with muscular dystrophy and neuromuscular conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Department has received no such reports. Decisions about the funding of local health services are a matter for local commissioners. NHS West Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) advises that as a member of the NHS England Strategic Network for Neurological Conditions, it agreed to discuss the importance of psychological support for neuromuscular patients, and existing psychological support services in the area, with Muscular Dystrophy UK, NHS England and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust.   The CCG has received a copy of a business case for provision of specialist psychological support at Colman Hospital in Norwich from Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust and has been in dialogue with the Trust. This issue will be discussed at the CCG’s Clinical Executive Committee meeting on 7 October 2015.

York University

Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many contracts have been awarded to the University of York by (a) his Department and (b) NICE since 1999; and how much funding has been allocated through each such contract by (i) his Department and (ii) NICE since 1999.

George Freeman: Since 2004, the Department has awarded 107 contracts to the University of York, of which 105 are entirely research based. The total value of all contracts is £92.96 million. Information prior to 2004 is not held.   Since 2007 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has awarded 10 contracts to the University of York (this figure includes six contracts awarded to York Health Economics Consortium, which is based at the University). The total value of these contracts is £1.16 million. NICE does not hold information relating to contracts awarded prior to 2007.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Performance Standards

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the reasons are for the delay in publishing the May 2015 referral to treatment waiting time data for King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; and what action he plans to take to ensure that such data is published as soon as possible.

Jane Ellison: We are advised by Monitor that King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has developed a referral to treatment (RTT) Recovery Plan that focuses on backlog clearance and validation in order to secure a return to compliance against RTT standards, and a validated waiting list underpinned by robust RTT policies, procedures and systems.   The Trust agreed with commissioners to temporarily suspend reporting whilst this Recovery Plan was implemented and as a result no national reporting against national RTT standards has taken place year to date for 2015/16. The Trust continues to provide commissioners with a weekly snapshot of unvalidated activity and monthly progress reports during this reporting suspension period.   It is expected that the Trust will resume reporting in in November 2015 as agreed with Monitor, NHS England and local commissioners.

Mental Health Services: Expenditure

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much each clinical commissioning group spent on (a) all psychological therapies and (b) cognitive behavioural therapy in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Alistair Burt: This level of information is not held centrally.

Prisons: Dental Services

Sir Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for a prisoner to see a dentist after having submitted a medical application (a) nationally and (b) at HM Prison Leicester in the last five years for which figures are available.

Ben Gummer: Data is not available in the requested format. A snapshot survey of prison dental services was published by Public Health England in July 2014, in partnership with NHS England and the National Offender Management Service. This identified that approximately 55% of prisoners needing dental treatment following examination were seen within four weeks. A copy of the survey, A survey of dental services in adult prisons in England and Wales is attached.   The survey also identified that prisoners held in category B prisons, including Her Majesty’s Prison Leicester, waited three to four weeks for treatment on average following examination to identify required treatment. 



A survey of dental services in adult prisons
(PDF Document, 852.83 KB)

Wheelchairs

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to Putting the wheels in motion: Assessing the value of British Red Cross short-term wheelchair loans, published by British Red Cross, July 2015, what assessment he has made of demand for short-term wheelchair loans.

Alistair Burt: Wheelchair services are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). No information is held centrally about the demand for short-term wheelchair loans, which are predominantly made by charities such as the Red Cross rather than by CCGs themselves.   NHS England has recently established a new national wheelchair dataset, which went live from 1 July. This will enable the use of data in future to drive improvement in wheelchair services that are provided by the National Health Service.

Mental Health: Research

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of mental health research funding in the last five years has been allocated to research into the role of work in improving the health and wellbeing and recovery of (a) mental health patients, (b) general medical patients and (c) people with physical or mental disability.

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much mental health research funding in the last five years was allocated to (a) dementia research and (b) other areas of mental health research.

George Freeman: Spend on research funded directly by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is categorised by Health Research Classification System (HRCS) health categories.   The ‘mental health’ category includes: depression, schizophrenia, psychosis and personality disorders, addiction, suicide, anxiety, eating disorders, learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders and studies of normal psychology, cognitive function and behaviour.   The ‘neurological’ category includes: dementias, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, Parkinson’s disease, neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and studies of the normal brain and nervous system.   There are no HRCS health sub-categories, therefore NIHR spend on dementia research is estimated separately from HRCS categorisation.   Spend by NIHR within the ‘mental health’ and ‘neurological’ health categories and on dementia research is shown in the following table.2010/11£ million2011/12£ million2012/13£ million2013/14£ million2014/15£ millionMental health (HRCS category)49.853.270.071.772.6Neurological (HRCS category)29.932.534.739.346.7Total mental health and neurological (HRCS categories)79.785.7104.7111.0119.3Dementia18.324.924.426.831.1   The NIHR has not funded specific research on the role of work in improving the health and wellbeing and recovery of mental health patients, general medical patients and people with physical or mental disability.

Mental Health Services: Per Capita Costs

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what amount has been spent on mental health per head in each clinical commissioning group area in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt: The attached document ‘Mental Health per head of weighted population CCG Spend PQ8604’ shows the per head weighted population spend on mental health by Clinical Commissioning Group for 2013/14 as reported via the Programme Budgeting collection. The 2014/15 data is not yet available. 



Mental Health per head CCG Spend
(Excel SpreadSheet, 29.09 KB)

Wheelchairs: Out-patients

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current levels of funding within the NHS for wheelchair provision for outpatients.

Alistair Burt: Wheelchair services are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). No information is currently held centrally about CCGs’ expenditure on wheelchair services or the level of service that they provide, including information about access and patient experience, that would enable the transparent assessment and benchmarking of provision for outpatients.   NHS England has recently established a new national wheelchair dataset, which went live from 1 July. This will enable the use of data in future to drive improvement in wheelchair services.

Baby Care Units

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether neonatal units are classified as children's in-patient services for the purposes of Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment.

Ben Gummer: Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment are annual ‘snapshot’ assessments of a range of non-clinical services in National Health Service and independent sector organisations. Decisions as to whether neonatal units are classified as children’s in-patient services for the purposes of this assessment are made locally.

Pancreatic Cancer: Drugs

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of provision of pancreatic cancer treatment on the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Over the last 15 years, services for pancreatic cancer have been significantly strengthened within the National Health Service. This includes clearer diagnostic pathways, decision making by specialist multi-disciplinary teams and centralisation of pancreas surgery within specialist teams.   Between 1999 and 2009, following reorganisation of pancreas services, there are now twice as many patients accessing surgery, and one year survival has increased by 5%. The benefits of the United Kingdom model are recognised internationally.   It is recognised that pancreatic cancer is a challenging disease for a number of reasons. There is a lack of any effective drug therapies and research opportunities are restricted by the small number of patients with the disease (approximately 7,000 annually), and the relatively low survival rates.   Symptoms are variable and difficult to identify, and there is presently no diagnostic test, although a test is in the research phase.

Pancreatic Cancer: Drugs

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that expert clinicians are consulted when assessing new treatments for pancreatic cancer.

George Freeman: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance is based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and is developed through wide consultation with stakeholders. NICE makes every effort to ensure that appropriate stakeholders, including clinical experts, are able to engage with the development of its guidance.   As part of NICE’s technology appraisal process, clinical specialists, commissioning experts and patient experts are invited by the Appraisal Committee to provide written evidence and attend the Committee meeting to help in the Committee's discussion of the technology being appraised.   NHS England is responsible for administering the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) and decisions on which treatments are included on the national CDF list are made by the CDF clinical panel. The panel includes expert oncologists, oncology pharmacists and patient representatives.

Nurses: Training

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of training a UK citizen as a nurse; and what assessment he has made of how this figure compares with the costs of recruiting nurses from overseas.

Ben Gummer: The Personal Social Services Research Unit at the University of Kent estimates that the average cost of training a nurse in 2013 was £78,604. This figure reflects the total cost of training and therefore includes costs funded through the public purse, including the NHS bursary, and by the student.   National Health Service organisations are best placed to decide how many staff they employ and how best to recruit those staff to meet services tailored to the needs of their patients and local communities, to deliver safe care.

Cancer: Mortality Rates

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of changes in cancer survival rates in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The Independent Cancer Taskforce’s new strategy, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020, which recommends improvements across the cancer pathway, was published on 19 July 2015. It will reduce incidence of cancer and improve services and outcomes for cancer patients, in particular survival rates. We will work with the National Health Service, charities and patient groups to deliver it.   Our cancer survival rates are at an all-time high and continue to improve, but we know we need to do more to be among the best in the world, and that is what we aim to achieve.

Drugs: Misuse

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the mortality rate from drug misuse in the North East.

Jane Ellison: The latest rise in drug misuse deaths – particularly in the North East – is a great concern and highlights the need for further local and national action. We need to ensure the most vulnerable users can access drug treatment and harm reduction services, where they have the best chance of recovery.   Public Health England will continue to support local authorities in delivering effective recovery services for everyone who needs them. They are providing local authorities and commissioners with expert advice, evidence, and management information including outcomes and value for money data. This can help to ensure that the local services are evidence-based, effective and integrated with local health, housing and employment support.

Pancreatic Cancer: Drugs

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the reasons are for the most recent NHS England review of the pancreatic cancer drug available on the national Cancer Drugs Fund.

George Freeman: The Cancer Drugs Fund panel considered a number of drug/indications for reprioritisation in July 2015. The panel’s decisions were announced on 4 September 2015 and are available at:   www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/cdf-drug-sum/

Cancer: Drugs

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with which patient groups did NHS England consult before the decision was taken to remove 25 treatments from the Cancer Drugs Fund.

George Freeman: The national Cancer Drugs Fund Panel followed NHS England’s Standard Operating Procedures for the Cancer Drugs Fund during the process of decision making. The Panel includes members from patient groups. In accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures, delegated members of the panel met with patient groups this week to explain the panel’s decisions.

Cancer: Drugs

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of patients who will be denied access to treatments no longer available on the national Cancer Drugs Fund list from 4 November 2015.

George Freeman: NHS England is working with manufacturers seeking to maintain drug and indication combinations within the Cancer Drugs Fund.

General Practitioners: Maternity Leave

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of GP maternity cover posts have been left unfilled in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: This information is not collected centrally.

Nurses: Recruitment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the budget made available for nurse recruitment by NHS trusts in England and Wales in each of the next five years.

Ben Gummer: National Health Service organisations are best placed to decide how many staff they employ and how best to recruit those staff to meet services tailored to the needs of their patients and local communities, to deliver safe care.

Muscular Dystrophy: Drugs

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from charities and patient groups on access to the drug Translarna for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: I met with the parents of children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Muscular Dystrophy UK, alongside the hon. Member for Winchester (Steve Brine) on 8 September 2015.   I also met with the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign (MDC) alongside the hon. Member for Leeds North West (Greg Mulholland) on 26 March 2015.   The former Minister of State for Care Services (Norman Lamb) met with the hon. Member for Blaydon (David Anderson) and a representative of the MDC group on 2 March 2015 where the issue of funding for Translarna was raised.

Maternity Services

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library NHS England's terms of reference for the independent maternity review.

Ben Gummer: A copy of the terms of reference of the independent maternity review is attached. 



Maternity Review Terms of Reference
(PDF Document, 284.3 KB)

Maternity Services

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether postpartum contraception is being considered as part of NHS England's independent maternity review; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: NHS England colleagues advise that the scope of the independent maternity review is from conception to the end of the postnatal period (six weeks after birth). Postpartum contraception is within scope insofar as it forms part of good postnatal care.

Pregnant Women: Mental Health

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effects on maternal mental health of pregnancy and maternity discrimination at work; and what steps he plans to take to address this issue.

Alistair Burt: Mental health problems are not uncommon during pregnancy, with around 12% of women experiencing depression and 13% experiencing anxiety at some point. Research has also found that around one in five new mothers experience harassment or negative comments from colleagues, employers or managers when pregnant or returning to work following maternity leave.   Pregnancy and disabilities are both protected characteristics which means that pregnant and disabled employees have protection against unfair treatment, discrimination or dismissal at work. Mental ill health is considered a disability under the Disability Discrimination Act if it has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on a person’s ability to do normal daily activities. Addressing all issues concerning perinatal mental health is a key priority of the Government.   Health care professionals involved in maternity care should follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance for the recognition, assessment, care and treatment of mental health problems in women during pregnancy and the postnatal period (up to one year after childbirth) and in women who are planning a pregnancy. Women who know they are pregnant should contact their local maternity service for a full assessment of their health, risk factors and choices so that a personalised plan of care can be prepared. Midwives are also trained to identify women who may require additional support, including for mental health issues.   This Government has committed to providing an additional £75 million over the next five years for services to support women with mental ill health in the perinatal period.

NHS: Drugs

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will take steps to reduce the time taken to approve for use drugs for the treatment of rare conditions and diseases; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The Government is committed to improving the lives of those affected by rare diseases and the United Kingdom is a recognised leader in the research, treatment and care for rare diseases.   Through its technology appraisal programme, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) develops authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether drugs and treatments referred to it by Ministers represent a clinically and cost effective use of NHS resources. NHS commissioners are legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended by NICE within three months of the publication of final guidance. Wherever possible, NICE aims to issue technology appraisal guidance on the use of a drug close to the time of licensing. Where NICE guidance is not available, it is for NHS commissioners to take funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence.   The Accelerated Access Review will make recommendations to the Government on reforms to accelerate access for NHS patients, including those with rare diseases, to ensure they can access effective and innovative treatments as early as possible in a way that represents value to the NHS.

Naloxone

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether availability of the drug Naloxone, under the new regulations to be introduced on 1 October 2015, will be restricted to those categorised in current Public Health England guidance.

Jane Ellison: The Public Health England guidance provides examples of potential recipients for supply of naloxone locally but does not restrict the scope of the new regulations. The new regulations will widen access to naloxone so that any person employed or engaged in the provision of drug treatment services can supply naloxone to others in the course of their lawful drugs work, for the purposes of naloxone being available to save life in emergency.   The regulations define drug treatment services as those provided by, on behalf of, or under arrangements made by, one of the following bodies: (a) an NHS body; (b) a local authority; (c) Public Health England; or (d) Public Health Agency.

Nurses

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of nurses that will be employed by NHS trusts in England and Wales in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: Health Education England is responsible for delivering a better health and healthcare workforce for England and for ensuring a secure future supply of nurses with the right skills, values and behaviours to meet future demand.   The number of nurses in Wales is a devolved issue. Information on the number of nurses employed in Wales may be available online at the following address:   http://gov.wales/topics/health/?lang=en

NHS: Drugs

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of patient access to innovative drugs approved under the MHRA's Early Access to Medicines Scheme ahead of NICE assessments and in the absence of any planned Cancer Drugs Fund meetings.

George Freeman: The Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) was launched in April 2014. Its purpose is to support access in the United Kingdom to unlicensed or off-label medicines representing a significant advance in treatment in areas of unmet medical need.   EAMS is a 2 step process. First, the Promising Innovative Medicine designation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is designed to give an early signal that based on early clinical evidence the medicine may be a possible candidate for EAMS and thus have the potential to be of value in areas of unmet medical need. There have been eight EAMS Promising Innovative Medicines designations issued so far.   Second, the EAMS scientific opinion by the MHRA, which we envisage will usually be towards the end of the development process, enables prescribers and patients to decide if the EAMS medicine might be suitable for that individual patient. Four positive EAMS scientific opinions have been issued.   For medicines granted a scientific opinion and which then receive a marketing authorisation, it is for commissioners to make funding decisions in advance of any technology appraisal guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.   There will be a review of EAMS as part of the Accelerated Access Review currently underway.